


A Fire Within (title in progress)

by Magikkittenz29



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series), Video Blogging RPF
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Blood and Violence, Crying, Dragons, Dysphoria, Fights, Gen, Genderfluid Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders, Implied Sexual Content, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Kissing, More characters to be added, Multi, Mutual Pining, Non-Graphic Violence, Nonbinary Deceit Sanders, Panic Attacks, Past Abuse, Singing, Slow Burn, Torture, Trans Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders, more to be added - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-03-30
Updated: 2020-04-18
Packaged: 2021-02-26 16:23:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 25,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/23400439
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Magikkittenz29/pseuds/Magikkittenz29
Summary: “Are you looking for a dragon?” Remus whispered this time.“Why should I tell you? For all I know you could turn me in to the authorities,” Logan said stiffly. “Not that I would allow you to get that far.”Remus wasn’t sure why, but he felt vaguely threatened.  He quickly moved over to the seat across from the other.“Well,” he started off, trying to think of the next thing to say. “...I am one of the best bounty hunters in the region. If you need to find a dragon I’ll be up to the task.” If this scholar was looking for a dragon, then surely he would need help. Remus had to confess, however, that he wouldn’t offer it simply for the sake of helping someone— he wanted money. Logan had gotten an education, he must have some coin on him. Either way, Remus wasn’t going to take up such an opportunity when it was given to him.---------A story in which Remus wants money, fun, and an adventure, and Logan is unwittingly giving that to him
Relationships: Anxiety | Virgil Sanders/Morality | Patton Sanders, Creativity | Roman "Princey" Sanders/Deceit Sanders, Dark Creativity | Remus "The Duke" Sanders/Logic | Logan Sanders
Comments: 14
Kudos: 28





	1. The Deal

**Author's Note:**

> Hiya, welcome to the very first chapter of this story which I (hopefully) will not abandon and will continue writing for.
> 
> Warnings: None, but if I missed any please tell me!

Remus quickly ran into the inn up ahead, a large storm stirring up. His clothes were soaked to the bone and he was shivering half to death. Once he closed the door, a bout of music met his ears and he looked up from where he stood, his eyes half-squinting as he tried to blink rainwater away from his eyelids. He heard cooing and tutting and turned to the innkeeper who was shaking her head with sympathy. “Poor darling. You look like you went to the Underworld and back,” she said, cleaning a cup. “How about I offer you one on the house?” she asked and gestured to the shelf full with a wide array of alcohol.

“That would be nice,” he said softly and walked over to the bar stool. He hung his soaked coat on the hanging racks, trying to discreetly cover whatever weapons were showing too visibly. He was sure an inn in the middle of nowhere wouldn’t mind the weapons on his person, but it was better safe than sorry.

At least, that’s what his sibling always said.

Remus smiled in thanks as the innkeeper slid him a keg of beer and he took a tentative sip from it. He licked his lips, getting the foam off his upper lip and slumped in his seat, relaxing as the fire from the tavern hearths slowly ate away the frostbite coming at his toes and fingers. With a low whistle, Remus leaned over and signaled the innkeeper. “You wouldn’t happen to have stumbled across a customer with a cloak like mine? But a dark violet?”

She paused for a moment before bouncing up. “Oh! I have. A broody fellow, that one. I think he’s in the booth the furthest from the door, in the corner,” she said helpfully.

Remus gave her a smile and slid her a tip. “Thank you, it is  _ definitely _ appreciated.” He stood up and started walking to the back of the tavern where a hunched figure sat, counting mounds of gold coins between his fingers while eating pork roast. Remus knocked his knuckles on the wooden beam above them, the figure’s head popping up in response.

“Remus,” he hissed, turning away as the man settled into the booth.

“Virgil,” the bounty hunter said in response and waited until they looked up at him again. 

“Why are you here?” he asked after a few moments of silence.

“I was led here. Looking for a man,” Remus responded and held up a half-soaking scroll of paper. It was a wanted poster that said: 

~ WANTED ~

VIRGIL STORM

DEAD or ALIVE

“You wouldn’t happen to know this fellow, would you?” Remus crooned, a devilish smirk on his face.

The counting of money stopped and Virgil lifted his head, a scowl etched into his features. “You wouldn’t turn me in for a unicorn,” he said quietly.

Remus thought for a minute. “No, but I’ll want something in return for the empty hand back,” he said bluntly.

Virgil sighed and gave Remus the stink eye. He sectioned a pile of coins, then pushed it towards the other. “Is that enough to satisfy?” he asked sarcastically. 

Remus held one up to his eye, grinning. “More so. Maybe you should stop getting yourself into trouble, Stormcloud, and you wouldn’t have to keep paying me rounds.”

“I’d rather save myself the heavy trekking later on,” he said, trying to brush off the statement.

Remus smiled widely and wrapped one arm around the other across the table, their foreheads touching. “I  _ knew _ you cared about me!”

Virgil scoffed but didn’t move. “Whatever. Don’t be reckless on the next bounty though, alright? I already told you—”

“Yeah, yeah, I know, you don’t like my employer. I don’t see why though, they always give me the high bounties and murderers. It makes it easier on my conscience.”

“Exactly! They’re setting you up to get hurt.” He shuddered lightly. “They’re just..untrustworthy. Just watch, one day they’re going to turn around and stab you in the back.”

“Well then they better watch out if they know who they’re facing,” he joked back, retracting himself from his spot over the table. Remus raised his hand to a passing barmaid and asked for a meal himself, winking at her as she sauntered off with his order. Virgil fake gagged and sighed into his hand. “Why do I associate with you?”

“Because you love me,” Remus said without hesitation and he wiggled his eyebrows at the other. 

Virgil sighed. “Alright,” he said and stood up. “I think I’ll head out. Remember the drill—”

“I never saw you, it was simply a strong gust of wind,” Remus recited with a bored face. “It’s pretty dramatic, isn’t it? Never thought you’d have a need for such flair.” But by the time Remus looked over in the seat across from him, Virgil had gone. A sigh left the bounty hunter’s lips and he couldn’t help but smile sadly. “A shadow disappearing into the night,” he whispered. 

He quickly pocketed the money given to him and stood up, walking over to the innkeeper. Handing some of the coins over for a room key, he smiled to himself when the room number given read as ‘Room # 69’. He started walking towards the hook near the door to retrieve his cloak when abruptly, the door hit his face, pain shooting up from his nose. He groaned and clutched his face, bending over. He glared daggers at the figure near the door but paused once he saw.

They weren’t as battered and soaked as he was, stray droplets hitting him. He probably rushed in quickly from some sort of shelter. They surveyed the inn, judging it with harsh, cold, eyes before stepping in. Remus curiously watched after him; he didn’t look like the kind of man to be here around these parts. “Hey!”

The other’s head snapped towards the bounty hunter, Remus analyzing the spectacles on his face. “Are you speaking to me?” he asked calmly.

“Yes, I am!” Remus stood up from his crouch. “You slammed the door in my face!”

The man looked slightly perturbed by the new information, then promptly held a hand out to Remus. “I apologize formally for injuring you.”

Remus’ face twisted into a sneer. He was most likely a scholar. No one around these parts would  _ ever _ speak to him like that. But, Remus could feel a little relieved. At least his confrontation didn’t lead to a fight like last time. 

Being Remus, however, he couldn’t  _ just _ shake his hand. He spit in his hand a plentiful amount before taking the other’s hand and shaking it firmly, not at all surprised by the smoothness of the scholar’s skin.

“Remus King,” he introduced himself. They already shook hands, why not exchange names?

The scholar withdrew his hand quickly as if this scenario was unprecedented and he yelped, quickly wiping his hand on his pant leg looking thoroughly disgusted.. “Logan Berry,” he said with hesitation, gritting his teeth.

“How creative,” Remus said jokingly, rolling his eyes as Logan flushed. 

He turned his head away and huffed. “I’ll have you know that I didn’t have any jurisdiction in my naming.”

Logan then promptly walked off into a booth, muttering to himself. Remus eyed him carefully from the bar table, only now just noticing the leather-bound book tucked safely between his arms and under his navy-blue cloak. Every part of his body ached for rest and for sleep, but he was definitely  _ too _ intrigued by the scholar to retire to his room. Plus, he was a nosy shit, he couldn’t help it. He discreetly wandered through the tavern, hiding behind wooden beams to take a peek at that book. 

He managed eventually to get close enough to sit in the booth directly behind Logan, humming to himself and trying not to draw attention to his spot. Remus didn’t hear anything, so he quietly peeked over his shoulder, looking down at the book. It was a bunch of gibberish—symbols and runes that he didn’t understand. He sighed in frustration and waited for Logan to turn the page, eyes widening when he did.

It had a dragon on it.

Dragons were rare creatures—something that could have been akin to myths. Thanks to the corrupt monarchy, books written on dragons were to be confiscated, burned, or destroyed. The beasts were nearly hunted to extinction and the tales about them were near forgotten. The bounty hunter was sure that half the country didn’t know what dragons even  _ were.  _ Remus was surprised that such a snobby scholar got his hands on such a forbidden book.

“What’cha doing?” Remus suddenly blurted out, cursing himself internally for not thinking before he spoke. 

Logan jolted and turned around, quickly snapping his book shut. Recognition flashed in his eyes. “ _ You _ ,” he seethed. He pushed himself right in front of Remus. “You didn’t see anything.” 

“Where’d you get that? Why do you want to know about dragons?” he blurted again without control. 

Logan looked panicked and slapped a hand over Remus’ mouth. A few moments passed, and a few barmaids walked by eyeing them weirdly. Remus licked the palm once the people had passed and Logan removed his hand from Remus’ mouth, sending him a death glare while wiping his hand on his pants once more. 

_ “Are you looking for a dragon? _ ” Remus whispered this time. 

“Why should I tell you? For all I know you could turn me in to the authorities,” Logan said stiffly. “Not that I would allow you to get that far.” 

Remus wasn’t sure why, but he felt vaguely threatened. He quickly moved over to the seat across from the other. 

“Well,” he started off, trying to think of the next thing to say. “...I  _ am _ one of the best bounty hunters in the region. If you need to find a dragon I’ll be up to the task.” If this scholar was looking for a dragon, then surely he would need help. Remus had to confess, however, that he wouldn’t offer it simply for the sake of helping someone— he wanted money. Logan had gotten an education, he  _ must _ have  _ some  _ coin on him. Either way, Remus wasn’t going to take up such an opportunity when it was given to him.

Logan raised an eyebrow. “Why should I take your word? You’re just like every other ruffian here; you simply want to make money, and it seems the only way you do that is by bragging, bribing, and bartering.” It seemed he was more observant than he looked. “Not to mention you are  _ highly _ unsanitary.” He grimaced.

“You want me to prove it?” he asked suddenly, slamming his hands down on the table. “Give me anyone’s name— anyone at all, and I’ll find them,” Remus said, filled with annoyance, yet excitement. Who was this man to challenge him?

“Please do,” Logan responded with sarcasm. 

“Alright!! I will!” Remus said with ferocity. “What’s your damage?”

Logan’s eyes narrowed, then he smirked. 

“If you’re so adamant on it,  _ fine _ . I want you to find...” he paused for what seemed like dramatic effect. “...William J. Barnum.”

If Remus was surprised, the only thing showing it were his shaky fists beside him. “William J. Barnum,” Remus repeated, watching Logan with almost a neutral expression.

“Affirmative, is there something wrong with my decision?” Logan asked with nearly a haughty tone.

“No, none at all,” Remus all but hissed. “Meet me down here at dawn. We can start moving then.” The bounty hunter stood up from his seat and started to walk towards the stairs.

Logan stood up after him, his eyes challenging. “If it would benefit you.”

The two then parted from each other, both tense for different reasons. Remus ran a tired hand through his hair, quickly making it to his rented room and flopping onto his surprisingly soft mattress. He wouldn’t let that dumb scholar win. Not with his stupid confident grin and posture. When someone picked a fight with Remus King, they better prepare themselves, cause he sure as hell wasn’t going down without a fight. Another rush of excitement ran through his veins as he felt the sense of an adventure, adrenaline seeming to keep him awake.

Another journey, another day’s work, another day to bring home the dough, another day to break the laws of the land and  _ not _ get caught. 

_ William J. Barnum _ , he thought, already lost in his own daydreams.  _ Shouldn’t be that hard. _


	2. The Secret Mission Part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: cursing, animal death, kidnapping, violence
> 
> If I'm missing any please tell me

Remus woke to a sharp knocking on his wooden door. He jolted out of the frankly disturbing dream he was living through and groaned, turning around in the bed to nestle deeper into the blankets and pillows. 

The sound went away for a good 5 minutes before returning, this one more vigorous and violent. 

“Fuck off!” he screamed at the door. 

Remus’ shoulders slumped with relief as the supposed intruder stopped. He slowly lowered his guard and closed his eyes, trying to get comfortable.

Then he realized.

He bolted out of bed, throwing open the curtains. He ran stressed fingers through his hair, trying to find his clothes that were haphazardly thrown onto the floor instead of neatly piled. He nearly tripped over a blanket that had fallen off the bed during the constant tossing and turning happening throughout the night. Remus cursed and pouted, trying to get ready without any more hurdles through the morning.

When he finally changed and opened the door, he was immediately met with a bored-looking Logan, his foot tapping the ground in a well-timed pattern.

“You’re late,” he said simply.

Remus clenched his teeth and smiled widely. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

Logan sighed and waved a dismissive hand. “It’s nearly sun-up, we should be leaving by now.” 

The scholar started walking down the hall towards the stairs. Remus grumbled, following him with heavy steps. He probably wouldn’t be able to sit and have breakfast as he so desired, so he would have to settle for starving until they reached the next town. The tavern downstairs wasn’t as bustling as it was last night, and Remus was glad for the absence of noise. The innkeeper was still at her post, but she was slowly dozing off. Logan briskly walked past her and started heading out the door, not bothering to hold it open for Remus.

“As I’ve found, there’s a town nearby if we follow the trail—”

“No need, we’re not heading north,” the bounty hunter replied nonchalantly.

Logan stopped walking as if his train of thought had been interrupted. “Where are we heading then?”

“Into the woods,” Remus responded as if it were the most logical answer. “We can cut through the land more quickly, plus, there’s a town that most bounty hunters hang out, I can ask around.”

Logan quickly mounted his horse, starting to look more and more uncertain. “You know how to navigate the woods?”

“Of course! Who do you take me for? Oh, also, that horse can’t come.”

Logan sputtered and gripped the reins. “You expect me to just  _ leave _ my horse in this dusty, old inn?”

“Yes.”

He started walking over to the small entrance into the woods, a clearing showing between two trees. “I mean unless you’re okay with trekking through a densely packed, narrow, forest trail and riding a horse while also simultaneously getting hit in the face with tree branches.”

“Riding her will not be necessary at the moment, I’ll just have her follow me along,” Logan said briskly, looking very hesitant about leaving the horse’s side.

“Fine, but she better not scare off all the game, we’ll need something to eat around midday.” Remus quickly did a check of his weapons, satisfied once he found he had a decent amount. He stretched his back, popping his shoulder before heading off into the dense shrubbery, an energetic look on his face. “Alright, if you don’t lag along, I promise I can find him in about a week!”

Logan stumbled along the trail, his mare being held by the bridle as he trudged along with her. “That quickly?” he asked with skepticism. “Not even trained professional bounty hunters can find a well-known, high-bounty criminal in a week.”

“Well, I’m not like other bounty hunters,” Remus replied smugly, walking as if the two were taking a leisurely stroll.

Logan rolled his eyes, following without saying anything.

Of course, the silence soon started to get to Remus. It was hard to simply just focus on the crunch of dry leaves under his boots or the swaying of leaves brushing against each other in the wind. He welcomed with relief the soft singing of birds within the forest and the soft braying the scholar’s mare would sometimes exhale. Silence never sat well with Remus. It always invited unneeded thoughts into his mind; it made him wander into territories that he never wanted to see. He kept sheathing and unsheathing his sword, mostly as a fidget and distraction. He was still focused on the path, obviously, but he was sure the lack of conversation in this journey would distract him most.

It was about after sun high when the two eventually made it to a clearing. There was a small, fast-flowing stream and a log nearby. Logan brought his mare over to the little abundance of water and let her drink while Remus filled up his canteen. “You hungry?” he asked the other.

Logan gently stroked the horse’s mane before looking up. “I suppose, but I could go on without it. We shouldn’t dawdle, now should we?”

“Well, yes, but we need to rest too. We’ve been trekking for at least 4 hours. We can’t continue if we don’t have energy,” Remus tried to reason. He sat down on the log, biting his nails. 

“Yes, I suppose,” Logan said begrudgingly, his mouth a thin line.

“Stay here and help yourself to something I got from the inn,” he said, tossing Logan a burlap sack filled with fruit and some pastries. The scholar fumbled with it, before safely tucking it against his chest. Before he could utter a word about how unsanitary the condition within the sack was, Remus had already gone, only a rustle of bushes and upturned leaves in his wake.

~*~

Remus crouched low behind a shrub, a throwing knife in his hand. There was a small rabbit, close to him. Remus was downwind, luckily, and all he had to do was creep slowly towards the animal. While the beast wasn’t anything compared to a deer, it would still provide some sort of a meal for the two. He took a slow step, his boots crunching under a leaf. He winced as the rabbit perked up with a nervous twitch of its nose, looking around and tilting its ears towards the offending noise.

Every muscle in Remus’ body ached as he tried to stay as still as possible— not even willing to breathe. 

About 10 minutes passed before the rabbit eventually settled down, nibbling once more on the small fronds on the forest floor. Remus huffed lightly, then continued to creep, being more cautious about where he placed his foot. He managed to get about 4-5 feet away from the animal, his eyes wide and focused. He carefully lifted up his knife, then threw it, a startled squeak coming from the creature as it embedded. It twitched once, then lay still.

Remus quickly walked over and took the knife out, picking the rabbit up by its legs. The death of the small animal didn’t impact him in any way. He was used to it. Death was a necessary part of life, and the sooner people came to the realization of that, the sooner they can better move on with their lives.

He started retracing his steps back to the little clearing where he found Logan still sitting. He seemed to have helped himself to the food, and he was now stroking the muzzle of the mare. Remus was about to make his appearance sudden and loud, but stopped once he heard a soft humming—no, not humming,  _ singing _ . Logan was singing softly, a tune Remus didn’t recognize, but it was familiar all the same. 

The bounty hunter couldn’t move and instead stood stock-still beside a tree, watching and listening intently. Logan looked at ease, notes drifting out smoothly as he pets the horse. The birds along the branches above seemed to join in, a chorus for the main tune. The scene was nearly magical, and Remus didn’t want to contribute to the disturbance of the scene, but then Logan’s gaze fell onto him, and he abruptly stopped, his face turning a light shade of pink. Clearing his throat he stood up. “I see you’ve returned,” he said quietly, fixing his collar though Remus saw no reason for him to do so.

Remus nodded and lifted up the rabbit he caught. “Yeah, let’s start a fire.”

The two had quickly found dried sticks strewn around the surrounding area. Remus was able to start a fire fairly quickly and started skinning the animal while Logan tended to the hearth.

“So,” Remus started, wanting to be rid of the impending silence. “Why  _ do _ you want me to find William? Something tells me there’s something more to this than just proving my worth to you.”

“And something tells  _ me _ , that the only reason you’re here doing so is that you wish to attain money,” the scholar snapped back, his nose pointed up in distaste.

The bounty hunter snorted and quickly placed the meat he gathered onto the sticks which he then placed over the fire. “At least you’re as smart as you look. But, you’re still avoiding the question.”

“There’s nothing to discuss. I thought bounty hunters weren’t to ask their clients what they needed the bounty for. It isn’t supposed to be the focus,” the bespectacled man responded, looking agitated. “We only agreed to you looking for him, if you can’t seem to accomplish that task, then I will see to it that I find a more worthy traveling partner.”

Remus rolled his eyes. “To find a better bounty hunter than  _ me? _ Nah, you’ll regret leaving me behind, I guarantee it.”

“Let’s just eat and be on our way, I don’t want this to take any longer than it has to,” Logan replied stiffly.

“Just to be clear, though,” Remus butted in. “If I find the guy, you’ll let me find that dragon of yours?”

The scholar looked thoughtfully at his mare, then back at Remus. “If you are aware of the dangers and the amount of difficulty it will take to find this dragon I am looking for, then I suppose so. I may not associate with people of your class, but I won’t go back on my word.”

Brushing off the fact that this would likely be the hardest bounty a client has ever given him, Remus leaned over closer to Logan. “But will I get paid? And how much?”

Riches weren’t everything, he knew that  _ especially _ when his mother reminded him about it on and on throughout his childhood. Roman—the naive, good-natured idiot—took the saying to heart, never spending too much money on things that he thought weren’t important. Remus was less enthusiastic to follow their mother’s words, but he also made sure not to establish the tainted greed their father always held.

Unfortunately, it seemed to have crept back with him as the years went by.

Roman and he weren’t  _ poor _ —far from it, but Remus always liked to get the money. He found that he rather liked the  _ idea _ of having more money than other people, than the idea of actually  _ spending _ that money.

He might have also liked capturing people and maybe, sometimes threatening them.

“You’re insufferable,” Logan said and scowled, looking as if he wanted to eat in peace without Remus’ selfish tendencies bothering him. “It depends on how well you do your job, not to mention how well you respect me as a client.”

_ How do people deal with people? _ Remus thought to himself. His employer was certainly someone of patience, having the ability to deal with snobby, rich folk like Logan.

“Do you want to put the fire out once we’re done or camp out for the rest of the day?” 

“Continue moving, I don’t want to dawdle anymore than we already have. I’ve read and heard that William doesn’t stay put often, so it’s better to stay on our feet and continue trekking.”

Remus slumped down on his log, trying to ignore how tired he actually felt. His bones were stiff and his legs were beginning to get sore, not to mention all of his excitement from yesterday night had rid him of sleep and had drained him of his potential energy. This always happened, much to his sibling’s dismay and worry, but the hunter usually found a way to distract himself from such pains and aches. He didn’t seem to get much of that luxury today. “Aren’t you tired?” he mumbled out.

The other didn’t respond right away and instead focused on packing up whatever belongings were put out. “Yes, but that is beside the point.”

With a tired hand running through his hair, Remus stood up, turning around effectively to get his internal compass pointing in the right spot. His eyes were close and he hummed, eventually pointing to a path. “That way!” he said with confidence. 

The burning of Logan’s disapproval and doubtfulness seared into Remus’ back. He heard the scholar huff and promptly turned around, a displeased expression on his face.

“What? Don’t trust me?”

“Yes, that’s precisely it.”

Remus gave a strangled noise of frustration, then started packing his things up. “Well too bad, I’m afraid you can’t find your way out without me.”

As the bounty hunter started to clear the path which was covered with branches and stray bushes, Logan muttered something along the lines of ‘I highly doubt that’ and started helping him, flinching every now and then as his skin got nicked by the sharp branches and thorns.

“You don’t have to help you know,” Remus muttered, taking out a machete. “Wouldn’t want to damage those smooth, soft hands of yours.” He said the statement almost bitterly as if resenting the fact.

Logan backed away and gave Remus an exasperated look, his hands on his hips. “I don’t see why you continue to belittle me at every chance you get; would it not be more helpful if you just let me help you so we can proceed more accordingly.”

Remus didn’t respond and instead continued hacking away before finally opening up a clearing the two of them could both pass through. “C’mon,” he said beckoning the scholar over. 

The bounty hunter walked into brush, a few crunching steps sounding before he disappeared into the darkness of the shadows.

Logan readied his mare and followed him in, looking up as if he were afraid branches were to fall on him. This was no distinct path, leaves blocking the view of the sky and shrouding the forest in darkness. There were roots jutting from the ground and branches at eye level that made the current journey harder to navigate. Remus wasn’t too far ahead, the machete still within his grasp. Most of the vegetation gave way easily, which made the man that much more confident about his directional skills; it was clear that  _ someone _ had gone this way sometime ago. He’d have to admit it was a little eerie though. There weren’t any chirps of birds or any bright flowers, there were only noises of the wind and leaves brushing together. Remus was on guard, slowing his steps down as he waited for his potential client to catch up.

“I’m starting to believe you  _ don’t _ know where we’re going,” Logan murmured, brushing off the bits of plants off his cloak. His mare seemed to agree, braying in what seemed like an agitated tone.

Remus heard a rustle and quickly brought a finger to the other’s lips before he could utter anything else.

The three stood stock still, silence following over them once more. Remus was tense, moving his hand in favor of his sword, brandishing it as quietly as he could before readying himself. Logan didn’t move, his face neutral, but the bounty hunter could see his set jaw and wide eyes.

They waited.

After what seemed like hours, Remus settled back into a standing position, still looking warily at the darkness covered with trees and shrubs. “I think we’re goo—”

Suddenly, Remus felt hands around his mouth, a strangled cry escaping his lips. He reached out, watching briefly as Logan disappeared. He thrashed, but what felt like another set of hands wrapped around his eyes, and the world fell into black.


	3. The Show

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: referenced child abuse, crying, panick attacks, violence, injuries, blood, screaming, cursing
> 
> Yeah, there's a lot, please be mindful of it! Tell me if I missed any

There were footsteps.

Boots against wood, a sound that was soft, almost muffled. Remus had grown accustomed to it, growing up. He grew accustomed to the way it slowly crept up on him—the way it signaled a return.

He remembered the cold nights when he and his sibling were in the cabins. He remembered the nights when his mother would stay in her bed and not stir. He remembered the nights Roman would cry and Remus would hug him and sing to him until he fell asleep. He remembered when his father would come home, back from another day of work. He remembered when his father would come over and take Roman by the arm. Remus remembered when he would tug and beg for their father to take him instead. He remembered not to lash out or cry. He remembered to be wary of the boots. He remembered to be prepared when he heard the noise. It was okay if he had to console Roman every evening before their father came home and it was okay he was taken by his father every night. After all, he had grown accustomed to it; the sound of the boots against wood.

~*~

Remus awoke with a start, his breathing heavy and sweat dripping down his forehead. He let out choked gasps as he saw only darkness no matter where he turned. He screamed, shaking and trembling. He tried moving around, but it did little to aid him from such a dark and terrifying prison. He couldn’t escape, and the revelation made him thrash even more. 

He couldn’t breathe, his vision fogging up and colors forming in the corner of his vision. He tried to scream again— to call out for help, but nothing came out.

Tears flooded his vision and he was suddenly and acutely aware of death hanging above him. He was scared, and rightly so. It was so hard to breathe, he wanted to succumb to the darkness, to give up.

And then a small light appeared before his eyes, illuminating the room in a warm glow that Remus so desperately needed. It was a small flame, suspended in mid-air by what might have been mage magic, but Remus was far too out of it to focus. He tried to crawl towards it, but the binds around him were still holding him. He looked down, seeing the ropes securing him into a wooden chair. He banged his head back, not wincing at the sharp noise of wood breaking; he just wanted to be  _ out _ , he wanted to be able to  _ breathe _ . He rasped, wheezing before moving his head up, watching as a figure slowly walked into the light in the center.

Shakily, the bounty hunter met the other’s eyes, tears falling down his face as the other approached. Memories flashed through his mind and Remus gasped, jerking away.

_ A hand, roughly reaching out to grab him _ —

“Whoa, calm down,” the other said, their voice deep. He felt the weight of  _ something _ on his shoulders and he tried to move away, the pressure too much. He cried out, which caused the other to move away.

_ The crushing grip of fingers that would surely leave bruises _ —

“I need you to look at me,” the voice came again, still placid.

Remus struggled, but eventually looked up, finding his vision still blurred considerably. He tried to say something but he choked on them once more.

“I want you to breathe in for 7, hold for 4, then exhale for 8. Can you do that?”

Remus shook his head, continuing to sob.

“Well I need you to try, alright?”

The other started counting, to which Remus eventually started following, taking a deep breath, holding it, then exhaling. Soon, his trembling had stopped and his breathing evened out to the point where Remus could calm down. He sniffled, his sight clearing up.

“Wh-who are you?” he croaked up at the mysterious figure helping him.

“You’ll find out when your interview starts,” he said calmly, gently pushing Remus’ chair underneath the little ball of flame. Instant relief filled Remus’ body and he sunk into the chair, the ache of his head suddenly becoming apparent.

“Inter...view?” he asked slowly, trying to ignore how his wrists were starting to ache.

The figure—a man, Remus noted— smiled at him, leaning close to him. “That’s right, and it starts soon, so you  _ better _ be on your  _ best _ behavior,” he said. Remus immediately locked onto the bright pink mustache above the other’s top lip and he gasped.

_ William.  _

“Wait, you’re—”

He blinked, the man had gone, almost into thin air. Remus looked around, twisting as far back as he could to try and find the interviewer, but he couldn’t, sighing. Despite the foreboding sense of doom that seemed to weigh heavily on Remus’ shoulders and the exhausted feeling that threatened to close his eyes, he couldn’t help but feel ecstatic; he had  _ found _ William J. Barnum, or, more correctly, he had found  _ them. _

Them. Wait, where was Logan?

Vaguely, the bounty hunter wondered what happened to him. He recalled when being taken that the other had disappeared from his line of sight. Did Logan set this up? Why would he do that? Did the scholar also get kidnapped as well? Were they torturing him too? Or was he completely safe? Remus shook his head to rid himself of all the unanswerable questions, wincing slightly as a headache came on.

He waited with the uncomfortable silence for what seemed like another 15 minutes, his heart pounding as he awaited another visit from William. He was also aware that he could also be greeted with the deafening silence that was threatening to take hold of him right now.

The light suddenly flickered out once more and a panicked yelp escaped Remus’ mouth before the whole room illuminated in a bright flurry of different colored flames. The man closed his eyes abruptly, the changes in brightness hurting his eyes. He leaned slightly towards the left, falling over onto his side with an undignified noise. He looked at his hands, confused as he saw he had been unbound—when did  _ that _ happen?

There was a vaguely ominous chuckle echoing around the brightly lit room. Remus looked around, blinking once before William suddenly appeared right in front of him, a bright smile on his face. The hunter let out a shout in surprise and scurried back.

“Aw, don’t be afraid, I’m not going to hurt you,” he said cheerfully, but Remus highly doubted he would get out of here unscathed.

In a matter of seconds, the room turned from bright and barren to bright and plentiful, a table, chair, paintings, and decor lining the room. It was  _ definitely _ mage magic, but how was it performed so quickly?

“Your interview is starting in a few minutes my good sir, so if you can simply sit on this soft loveseat and let my people get you ready we can hurry this up without dally,” William said, gesturing to the spot behind him. Remus turned and found that his wooden chair had been replaced with an near luxurious couch. He looked at it with wide eyes, then back at William who still wore the same smile. “Go ahead.”

Remus warily sat down, getting the creeping feeling that something was watching him. A door suddenly appeared in the spot right next to Remus and people came bustling in, a wide variety of cosmetics in their hands and satchels. He saw William murmur to one of them, before the others went over.

“What—”

“Oh don’t worry,” the man replied, interrupting his question. “They’re just going to make you look better before the crowd. After all, you  _ were _ just crying a few minutes earlier.”

Remus felt his hair getting pulled back by professional hands and others coming up to clean his face and apply makeup. He shivered and tried to move away but the hands were persistent.

After a few moments of brushes, powder, and fussy noises, finally they left. William came up and quickly gave him a mirror, Remus looking in the mirror with slight trepidation. His cheeks were clean and looked smooth. His mustache seemed to be growing in more since the last time he had saw himself. But what was most apparent was the way his eyes were decorated and altered. There was purple kohl around his eyes, making the green in his irises pop. He touched his cheek, brushing against it softly before the mirror was ripped from his hands.

“Alright, we’re going to be live! Just sit  _ right there _ and  _ don’t move _ . When that curtain rolls up, I will introduce you to the audience and I’ll ask you some questions, like how an interview goes!” William instructed him.

_ What curtain? _ Remus thought to himself. 

The wall to the left of him started to rise slowly, Remus jolting a little at the noise. His eyes widened as he saw a large crowd of people behind it, clapping once William and Remus were shown on what the hunter presumed was a—stage? The audience was seated as if they were to watch a play or performance, looking excited. Where had all these people come from? Hadn’t Remus been taken near the woods? How long had he been passed out? Why were these people excited to see an interview hosted by a _ murderer?  _

“Good evening ladies and gentlemen and of  _ course _ all other configurations of being,” William drawled out, the crowd cheering and clapping. Remus adopted a face of disbelief and continued to alternate his gaze from Will to the audience.

“I’m Wilford Warfstache, and today I bring you a guest many of you might now be familiar with,” he continued. Remus opened his mouth to ask a question, but William—Wilford?—sent such an icy look in his direction that he quickly shut his mouth.

“Now without further ado, I give you...Remus King!”

Despite the obvious unfamiliarity from the crowd, they clap anyway, Wilford smiling. He turned to face Remus’ direction. “You’re probably wondering why we brought you here on this interview,” he said. 

“Uh, yeah, I am wondering,” Remus said awkwardly, not quite sure what he was supposed to say, especially in front of such a large crowd.

“It’s because I heard of you coming to find me,” Wilford answered cheerfully. Suddenly, Remus felt a chill run up his spine. A bright light shined above him, isolating him and making him the center of attention. “A great risk indeed! Not to mention a challenge. Tell me, what was your motive for this mission of yours?”

The bounty hunter swallowed thickly, fidgeting slightly in his seat. “Well, I wanted money, and I was promised some if I found you,” he said carefully but with enthusiasm. He didn’t know the buttons on this man, and even though he seemed to have a very bubbly exterior, there was something downright  _ terrifying _ about him. 

Wilford gave a shimmy then leaned forward. “I see...Now I heard that you weren’t just looking for me for your own benefit, who was your client? Or perhaps...your  _ companion?” _

“Yeah he’s my client, he was the one who wanted to look for you,” Remus blurted. He couldn’t show weakness in front of such an intimidating person. “You wouldn’t happen to know where he is, do you? He came here—”  _ Wherever  _ here _ is.  _ “—with me, is he also getting interviewed?”

Wilford smiled manically. “Funny you should ask—especially since  _ I’m _ the one who is supposed to be asking the questions here! But if you  _ really _ must know...” The host snapped his fingers and another wall revealed itself, rolling up. Remus stood still as he saw Logan, tied to the same chair he had been in. He didn’t look nearly as disheveled as Remus had been, however, Logan gave Remus an even expression. Where Remus was only bound from the neck down, Logan had a gag, something that seemed to perturb him.

“Now, here’s the deal,” Wilford said. Remus nearly thought he was talking to him, but the pink-haired man had already turned to the audience. “We have a little  _ game _ with our show today. Our guest here is going to answer as many questions as he can  _ truthfully _ , and then he and his friend will be able to go home free! But if he doesn’t, then this bespectacled scholar will  _ disappear _ ,” he said with dramatics. The audience ‘oohed’ and ‘ahhed’ while Logan sent a slightly more panicked look at Remus.

“And,” Wilford continued. “To be able to prove our bounty hunter is telling the truth, I will place a small spell on him.”

Wilford’s fingers waved in his direction and Remus closed his eyes, as if he expected a sudden change, but nothing felt any different from normal.

“Anything uttered that isn’t the truth will cause him immense pain,” he said. The audience laughed as if this was the funniest thing they had ever heard.

“But wait, there’s more!” A joyful giggle came from Wilford’s mouth and clapped happily. “Alongside the bounty hunter, the scholar on the chair beside my desk will  _ also _ be caused immense pain! But let’s say his will be— _ a little more physical _ .” Remus froze. He was perfectly okay with sacrificing himself for the sake of preserving the both of them—he didn’t want any blood on his hands—but he wasn’t going to let Logan get hurt, especially not to a worse degree than him. A scholar with a rich upbringing wouldn’t be able to survive such pain; at least Remus had been building up his pain tolerance from a young age. He felt his head nod automatically and a small smile crept onto his face despite himself. Logan gave him a crazed look as if he had already lost all hope. He hung his head and waited for his inevitable death. He was shaking, and Remus had to restrain himself from reassuring him.

“So, what kinda questions are you asking me?” 

Wilford leaned back in his chair and hummed. “I already got all of that sorted out!” He held up a stack of cards in his hands, flipping through them. There seemed a very significant amount, and Remus was slightly perturbed by the thought that he wouldn’t be able to answer them all without messing up somehow. “Now! Without further hesitation, let us begin.”

The lights that had once illuminated the stage abruptly extinguished, leaving Remus back in darkness. Before he had a second to panic, one single light appeared right above his head, making him the sole center of attention. His legs tensed and he gripped the fabric of the loveseat beneath him harshly. 

“Now, you claimed to be a bounty hunter, correct?” came the first question.

“Yes,” Remus responded without hesitation. There wasn’t any lie to the answer, but Remus still felt nervousness flood his system. There was a soft noise of papers being shuffled before Wilford cleared his throat.

“I see, so, if you’re bounty hunter, you must have a client, do you not?”

“I do,” Remus responded, his voice more shaky now. He shook his head violently, trying to get himself to calm down. He remembered the breathing exercises Wilford had been giving him before the show—he just had to do that.

“Well then, my dear boy, why did you take up a bounty from a stranger, then?”

“It was a chance for money.”

“But how were you to know if this man you seemingly met in a few minutes were to grant you a large sum of money if you found his bounty?”

“I—”

“You could have received a large amount of money and riches from your client, so please, tell me, what is so  _ special _ about this particular little scholar that you just  _ had _ to win his favor?” 

Remus froze, trying to come up with a coherent answer before the pause became too awkward. What was he to say? That he was looking for a dragon? Wilford might have been a criminal, but that wasn’t going to stop him or the crowd from ratting out the two of them for meddling with dragon business. He silently cursed the lack of light; with it, he would have been able to communicate with Logan to see his thoughts on the matter. Without it, Remus had no  _ clue _ what kind of risks he should take.

“It-it was something of sentimental value,” he answered. Immediately, he knew it was the wrong answer. 

Remus jolted and suddenly a pain unlike any other coursed through him, making him freeze. He couldn’t move, but he could scream out. It felt as if multiple swords were being lodged into his gut—or multiple morningstars were being rammed into his head. He tried his hardest to get away from the horrible sensation, but all he could do was cry out, sobs shaking his chest. He half expected blood to grace his presence, but he didn’t feel any. Only the pain that wracked his body. Tears started to stream down his face, but before he knew it, it was gone. He was panting and trembling, his fingers tearing holes in the cushions. 

He heard another chuckle, and while it didn’t sound sinister, Remus flinched all the same.“ _ That  _ is what happens when you answer  _ wrong _ , dear boy.”

Remus nodded and tried to straighten up, but the agony of a few moments was still stuck to his being and he slumped back down. He froze as he heard the noise of a knife soaring through the air, he cried out and he heard the shout of Logan across the stage. It was a guttural noise, and Remus’ mind filled with the worst possible images, the scene constantly circling in his head. He could only hope that wasn’t happening now.

“Alright, lemme ask that question again,” Wilford continued, seemingly completely unbothered by the current circumstances. “What is so special about this particular little scholar, that you just  _ had _ to win his favor?”

As much as Remus hated to put both him and Logan in a vulnerable position, he didn’t want either of them to get hurt again. “I wanted a challenge and I wanted an adventure.”

He waited, not quite sure himself if that was the truth, but he didn’t feel any oncoming, sudden, pain. He breathed out a sigh of relief, his shoulders falling.

Wilford made a thoughtful noise before asking, “I thought you wanted wealth.”

“Yes, but also adventure and a challenge. It’s fun to evade near-death experiences and run from the law time-to-time and test your limits.” He felt pride rush into his system. Bounty hunting was less than a chore for him; more like a pass-time. The money was a huge plus, but roaming around with no strings tied was the best part of his job.

“Seems you like your job.”

“Yes, I do.”

“Unfortunately, as much as I would love to take this show further, my supervisor said we’re running low on budget and I can’t afford much more time with you and my audience.”

The crowd groaned in what sounded like and Remus allowed himself to sink further into the cushions; he really wanted to relax.

“Here’s my last question for the day before we tune out! What  _ exactly _ is your bounty?”

Remus choked a breath at the question, his mind not prepared to register it. He coughed before straightening himself out, trying to balance himself. “It’s, well—it’s against the bounty hunter’s code to talk about clients’ bounties,” he offered helplessly.

Another pause. “I suppose that’s fair!” came the response and suddenly the stage was illuminated again. Remus blinked as his eyes were attacked once more for what felt like the hundredth time that day and his eyes immediately found Logan. The scholar was hunched over, a dagger sticking out of his upper left bicep. Remus made a pained noise but didn’t excuse himself from the chair. Wilford looked back at the crowd and gave everyone a greeting before the curtain-wall closed again. Remus could still hear the clapping of the audience and their chattering as the left, something he hadn’t heard before he show. In the back of his mind he wondered why, but before he could question anything he leaped out of the seat, running to Logan.

“Are you alright? You didn’t lose that much blood did you? He didn’t stab you anywhere else? Are you bleeding internally? Are you filling up with so much blood right now that it’s threatening to burst out of you like a—”

“Remus,” Logan interrupted with an exasperated and hoarse voice. “I’m fine. Are  _ you _ alright? You sounded as if you were in more pain than I.”

“Fuck how I’m feeling. The bitch didn’t  _ harm _ me. You’re actually bleeding! We need to get out of here.”

Remus started working on the ropes, but stopped as a shadow entered his field of vision. He turned around with teeth bared but he just found Wilford kneeling down to help them.

Remus tried to ask but Wilford just hummed, untying Logan quickly. He whistled between his fingers and two people came out of a room, bandages and other medical supplies in their grasp. Wilford then started to ease the dagger out—by which he actually  _ tugged _ it out—which earned a pained yelp from Logan.

“Hold on,” he said and brought his hands to the wound. He muttered something and Logan’s eyes flashed with familiarity before the wound stopped bleeding. The host minded the fabric that had been cut then grabbed the bandages, wrapping it. 

Logan looked up in amazement and also heavy confusion as Wilford stood up with a happy grin, offering the scholar his hand to which Logan grabbed with his good arm. Remus followed their action. “Hold on, why are you helping us?” he asked incredulously. This man had less rhyme or reason to what he did than even  _ Remus _ .

“You’re still a part of my show! I’ve been alerted by my staff that when I do things like this to my interviewees, they could potentially die from it; who would have known? So, I’ve started patching them up ever since.” He shuddered. He leaned over to Remus and whispered, “The first time I didn’t listen, Kathryn, my manager threatened to  _ fire _ me.” Remus sent another questioning glance at the host only to find the man looking genuinely terrified. He placed a hand on his shoulder and gave him a friendly pat.  _ This _ was the guy who was threatening to kill Logan earlier?

Logan started to look increasingly impatient, as if he wanted to say something. “Mr. Barnum, or, er,  _ Wilford _ , do you think you could lend us a bit of your expertise if you will? There _ is  _ a reason why I came to find you, and it has to do with the bounty which my companion has rid you the information of,” he said.

Wilford gave him a thoughtful look, his mustache twisting with his facial movements. “What do you want to ask me?”

Remus gave Logan an imploring look. He had never felt more confused in his whole life. It was as if everyone was in on one big secret and he was the outsider, the one no one trusted with information. Logan sent him a ‘ _ I’ll explain, don’t worry’ _ look and he huffed.

“I’ve done extensive research on this, and I would very much value any information you could give us, but do you think you would be able to tell us anything about dragons and where to find them? Logan asked, his eyes shining.

The pink-haired man looked surprised, an emotion Remus never expected from him. Logan swallowed nervously, unconsciously leaning to Remus as if the bounty hunter was his only source of safety, which, in a way, he was.

Wilford’s expression darkened and Remus felt himself readying. He leaned close to Logan and looked him straight into the eyes. “You better be careful of what you say, and how loud you say it,” he said softly, seriousness etching into his features. “There are ears  _ everywhere _ dear boy, and when you mention those creatures, the walls always seem to take you.”

Remus suppressed a shudder, looking around in reflex. Logan didn’t flinch though, his neutrality seeming to help him stay calm in the situation. 

“If you’re  _ really serious  _ about this,” he muttered. “Follow me.”

The three walked into a door hidden in the whole of the weird room. Wilford walked through a dark hall, multiple doors on either side of them. Some had horrible noises emitting from them, while others gave a strange sense of unease. Curiously, he reached for the doorknob of one of them before Logan grabbed his wrist, giving him a warning look. He rolled his eyes and stuck his tongue out at the offending man. 

Finally, Wilford opened a door, this one much smaller compared to the others which seem to be identical in size and color. He grabbed a rusty key from his breast pocket and he started unlocking the latches before leading the two in. Logan seemed sure of himself, but Remus was still a little suspicious.

All around them was surrounded by newspapers, scrolls, stacks of files and feather quills and ink. There was a mess of yarn and daggers and arrows along the wall farthest from them and a set of monocles on a desk table. Remus walked around, his hand brushing against the wall before retracting it. 

Wilford dug in a desk drawer before finally making a noise of accomplishment, holding up a leather bound book, one smaller than Logan’s. He quickly gave it to the scholar, his eyes looking heavy all of a sudden. It was as if the atmosphere of the room was dragging him down mentally and physically. 

Logan’s eyes widened at the sight of the book, his fingers gently running over the cover and the spine. “William J. Barnum’s notes and recordings,” he read aloud in a hushed voice.

Wilford nodded, the action taking an immense toll on him. “Yes, yes, it’s all so great. Let’s get out of here,” he decided and promptly pushed all of them out, locking the door securely and returning the key to his pocket. Remus followed once more as they were led back out of the hallways with the mess of doors. He watched as Logan firmly held onto the book, even with his injured hand. He felt the impulse to rip the journal out of the scholar’s hands, to look through all the pages, but restrained himself.

Eventually they made it back to the stage area where Wilford’s crew seemed to be putting away various items. “If that’s all I can do for you two you best skedaddle! I have to get ready for my next interview!”

“Wait how do we—”

“Thank you for this,” Logan interrupted. “Even if you  _ did _ hurt us in the process.”

Wilford gave another bubbly smile. “It was no problem! Maybe next time if you drop by I can tickle you with a knife! I never got the chance to do that today!”

Remus shivered nervously despite a voice in his head egging him to accept the offer. 

“Maybe,” Logan offered, also looking a little bothered. “How do we exit this establishment? Surely mage magic is involved, but mine isn’t nearly as advanced as yours is.”

Remus halted in his train of thought—Logan was a  _ mage _ as well as a scholar?

“Oh right!” Wilford said. He snapped his fingers, a ‘Goodbye!’ being heard before Remus and Logan ended up back on the forest floor, Remus falling onto his hindquarters while Logan fell onto his side, hissing in pain as his arm was slammed into the ground in the process.

The bounty hunter went over quickly to help him up, Logan gripping onto Remus’ forearms with a vice-like grip. “My thanks,” he said softly.

“Yeah,” Remus said lamely. Once he was sure that the scholar could stand up on his own, Remus went to retrieve the items the two had left while they were kidnapped; weapons, food, etc. Logan walked around, looking for his horse, but to his dismay, she had fled, in Remus’ opinion, rightly so. He couldn’t help but feel bad for Logan, however, who was looking dismal at her disappearance. He recovered quickly, though, so it couldn’t have been too bad a loss.

“It’s alright. If she was a good trained horse she’ll make it back to the stables without a worry,” Remus promised, carefully wrapping an arm around Logan’s shoulders. Despite the two being kidnapped for what seemed like a long amount of time, it seemed not even an  _ hour _ had passed. Remus wrinkled his nose and gave a soft huff. That was enough cryptic-ness for the day.

“Ready to move on, nerdy wolverine?” he asked. 

Logan huffed and brushed off whatever stuff onto his clothes. “Do  _ not _ call me that,” he warned, though there wasn’t much bite in his words. “But, yes, I suppose I am.”

And with that, Remus started heading through the woods, Logan following him with the secure weight of the book; the book that would bring them  _ both _ to glory.


	4. The Friend

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: blood, mentions of death (but not actually death), injuries, binding, brief mentions of dysphoria, cursing
> 
> As always, if I'm missing any please feel free to tell me

Logan was vehemently relieved that Remus seemed to know where he was going. The two had made it to the town like Remus had promised in a few hours. It wasn’t any more taxing than before, but considering the situation they were in previously, they were beyond exhausted once they reached the small inn. Logan had underestimated the amount Remus was carrying with him on his person, as he paid a generous amount to the innkeeper before asking for two rooms,

“We only have one room left,” they drawled. 

Logan sighed, but Remus just shrugged taking the room. He reached for the extra coin, but the innkeeper had already tucked it all away. With a grimace he walked through a door and down the hall, Logan following as quickly as he could. He was swaying slightly, his head feeling what he could only describe as fuzzy. Once they made it to their room, Remus opened the door for him, his usual energy fading from his eyes. 

They walked in without a word, Logan immediately collapsing onto the bed, being careful to mind his arm. He had never felt so tired, and he was sure he would fall unconscious in a matter of seconds, but the sound of Remus unpacking their leftover food and water kept him up. Logan slowly moved and opened the eyes he didn’t know he even closed. 

“You should eat something,” Remus said, rubbing his eyes as he took out some of the good fruit. Most of them had spoiled throughout their trip and they would have to restock in the morning.

“Perhaps...later. There will be a chance in the morning,” Logan responded drowsily. Remus gave a soft snort and bit into an apple, the crunch of the fruit loud and resonating in his ear. He limply grabbed a pillow and covered his face with it, not at all as cautious with the unfamiliar cloths and linen as he was at the first inn; he no longer cared about unsanitary rooms, he just craved  _ sleep _ .

“I’ll let you sleep on the bed,” Remus announced, already grabbing a few of the extra pillows. “I’ll sleep on the ground, and ask the innkeeper for more blankets.”

A slight guilt ran through Logan, but he allowed himself to ease down once he thought about it logically. He was injured, there was a reason he was taking the bed. “Okay,” he said softly. With much more effort than Logan had predicted, he slowly sat up, shedding off the dirtied and bloodied cloak as well as the vest and his stuffy, tight cravat. He eased off his boots, not bothering to stack them up neatly against the wall and let them simply sag on the ground. He felt dizzy and groaned, falling back down into the cushion that was the bed and he worked the covers down, draping them over himself.

“You sure you don’t want water or something?” Remus piped up from the other side of the room, sitting down in a small stool while gazing out the small window of their room.

“As much as I know I should hydrate, I think I will take my chances and have sleep rather than water,” Logan grumbled. Why were there so many interruptions? He just wanted to sleep to keep his sanity preserved.

“Sleep well, I hope your dreams aren’t haunted with blood and death.”

Logan shuddered and sent a hard glare at Remus who cackled. “Just kidding...kinda.”

The scholar muttered and pushed one side of the pillow over his ear, slowly sinking into the comfort that was the bed.

~*~

The sound of blankets rustling was—surprisingly—the first thing that woke Logan up. Every muscle from the torso down ached and he tried to stretch, his arms spreading out above his head. In his daze, he momentarily forgot his injury and hissed once he remembered. He cursed under his breath and carefully brought his arm back down, trying to avoid inviting more damage to his wound. Gently, he pressed his fingers against the bandages, wincing lightly. It was still tender, and Logan would have to replace the bandages. He blinked, the farther reaches of the room blurry in his vision. He looked at the nightstand, perplexed on how they had gotten there. Surely he had worn them to sleep? 

With some struggle, Logan finally made his way out of the bed, only to hear a yelp once he placed his foot down. Beneath him, Remus flailed around in the blankets and pillows laid for himself and he peaked out from under them, sending the scholar a glare and a pout.

“Watch where you’re stepping,” he seethed, promptly settling back down onto the pillows with a ‘thump’.

Logan scoffed and rolled his eyes grabbing whatever new clothes he had before heading over to the bathroom, but not before he tred—purposefully—on Remus’ leg, only narrowly missing the pillow thrown in his direction afterward.

It was a small area, but it would do. Logan set the new outfit on the counter of the sink and started to undress, shivering slightly. He wasn’t expecting it to be so cold this morning. He started the shower, wanting it to warm up before he stepped in. while waiting he worked on unwrapping the bandage, grimacing at the sight of dried blood; luckily, it didn’t seem to be infected, though. He reached out towards the shower, sighing with relief once he realized that hot water  _ could _ be obtained from this musky establishment.

Logan spent about half an hour in there, the room growing steamy. He grabbed a rough towel and briskly dried his hair and himself, dabbing at his wound. He changed quickly into his trousers and walked over, shivering at the brush of cold air that greeted him. He didn’t bother putting on his shirt as he had yet to redress his bandages.

Remus was sitting on the bed, a plate next to him with bread and eggs. He was shirtless—well, almost. A white bandage was wrapped around his torso, the roll of gauze in his hand as he ate, and a burst of alarm ran through Logan’s mind.

“Were you injured physically as well?” he asked.

The bounty hunter jumped as if he didn’t see him, quickly crossing his arm. “What?” he asked dumbly.

“Were you injured?” Logan pressed, walking closer to the other before realizing the other was trembling. “Remus,” he said softly. “Did you get hurt? You shouldn’t hide it, you know, let me help—”

“I’m not hurt,” Remus said slowly, looking very hesitant.

“What are you using the bandages for?” Logan asked, his brain buffering.

Then it hit him.

He must have been making a face that alerted his newfound discovery as Remus cleared his throat nervously, looking over to the left while his face burned. “I’m—uh, using it for binding,” he muttered out, brushing the topic off.

Logan Berry wasn’t one to judge, and he frankly felt bad for stumbling into the room at such a moment. “It’s a relief that you’re alright,” he said softly, letting a soft smile ease onto his face. 

Remus smiled back, looking grateful and relieved. “Thanks for worrying about me you dork.”

“I’d never have a problem with it,” Logan commented. “Be that as it may be, I  _ do _ have a problem with you tying the bandages too  _ tightly _ .”

Remus scoffed. “It’s fine, I never tie it too tightly,” he said, brushing off the subject in a way that made Logan frown. “May I touch you to prove that statement for myself?”

Immediately Remus flinched, but he smiled quickly to try and hide it. “My, my, only known each other for 3 days and  _ already _ asking to touch me? How scandalous!”

“I don’t want you to hurt yourself when it isn’t needed. If it’s tied on too tightly you could have a hard time breathing and you could bruise. While that may not seem too bad in hindsight to yesterday, it certainly will affect you,” he informed with a worried tone.

The man in front of him seemed to have deflated at the way Logan shot down his joking and he looked down, fiddling with his fingers. “Alright,” he said like a scolded child. “Do you think you would be able to…?”

Logan gave a patient smile. “Of course, but I don’t want to make you uncomfortable if it is avoidable.”

“Stop when it starts to fall, alright?”

He nodded and started to slowly unbind the bandages, Remus seeming tense, but he was definitely taking in more air than before. Logan made sure to stop after a while, and then he handed the bandages to Remus, he started to wrap them again in a looser fashion. 

The scholar briefly wondered why Remus wanted his chest bound so immensely that it was nearly a corset. It wasn’t healthy and he couldn’t see why  _ anyone _ would subject themselves to such a thing, but he also felt as if the matter wasn’t any of his business, and he didn’t want to intrude on Remus’ personal thoughts and life.

“Is that sufficient? Are you able to breathe?”

Remus tested it out, twisting his torso and arms. “I think so.” He hopped off the bed and stretched, sighing loudly. “We should be going.” He grabbed his tunic off the ground and started dressing, looking immensely more comfortable, though Logan wasn’t sure if that was because of the considerably less constricting bandage or the secure safety of clothes.

“How much coin do you have left? Also, on the topic of that matter, are you going to pay me a large sum for finding that godsdamned dragon?” he blabbed, looking very much like his usual self once more.

“I thought you said you became a bounty hunter for the adventure,” Logan piped up. “At least, that’s what you informed the audience during the interview.”

Remus pouted. “Well,  _ yes _ , I do it for the adventure and fun and all that crap, but you know, some coin would be very much appreciated.”

Logan made a thoughtful face as he shrugged on his cloak and grabbed his satchel, a little heavier with the newly obtained journal tucked safely into it. “I will consider it.”

Remus grabbed his sash, counting the knives once more before securing it. He held his cloak under the crook of his arm, slinging the bag of used-up rations over his shoulder. “I can’t believe this entire journey is based off of a ‘perhaps’” he muttered to himself rather gloomily. Logan let a soft chuckle reach him before he stepped out the door, this time, holding it out for Remus to pass.

~*~

“Where do we even start looking?” Remus asked as he stuffed his face with pastries. The two of them were sitting outside of an establishment—a bakery of some sorts. Logan only ate a little of Remus’ hoard and instead spent most of their breakfast reading the journal he had received. He wasn’t exactly sure  _ what _ to expect when he opened it up, but it was definitely more than he ever dreamed to read. 

There were detailed sketches of anatomy, skeletons, and dragons of different species and different subtypes. If there was anything Logan knew about dragons, it sprouted from the information inside this exact journal.

Many had either forgotten or never known, but before William J. Barnum had become a serial killer and a supposed famous interviewer, he was an explorer, specifically one that specialized in tracking down dragons and understanding their behaviors. He was by no means a young soul, having been alive during the time of the war— _ way _ before dragons had ever been considered illegal and taboo. He had claimed that he went to research them as a way to distract himself from the horrors of the past and simply because, ‘No one had ever  _ done _ such a crazy thing before, I should do it!’ Logan would never have foreseen himself idolizing this man, or wanting to follow in his footsteps, and yet, here he was now, reading through the legend’s journal to find clues to help him and the bounty hunter’s journey.

His nose was currently stuck in a page that commented on Wyverns, a species of dragon, which lived in the mountains where evergreens sprouted. The book was dated, of course, but there was no reason to say that they would be completely off if they were to head in that direction. Logan gave a look at Remus, who was still eating ravenously. “The journal says around the mountains,” he said, lowering his voice. There were people around who were starting to stir and lessen the silence of the town. Logan didn’t want them to be eavesdropping too much, especially if it was a tight-knit community; they’d recognize him and Remus as visitors.

“If that’s the case,” Remus replied, not bothering at all to lower his volume. “We should go to the blacksmith’s, or maybe drop by some sort of clothing store. It’s going to be cold up there.”

“There’s a blacksmith’s nearby?” Logan inquired, looking back down at the text. Wyverns weren’t as hostile as other dragons, but years of being holed-up in the mountains might have changed that fact. 

“Yeah, I hear he’s pretty good, or, at least that’s what the others have told me,” Remus informed unhelpfully, standing up to stretch again.

“We should hurry then,” Logan mused, only half listening. There was a bit of the page that had been torn out, all that was left was the cryptic marking peeking out from the top of the rip. Logan only hoped that the information that had been stripped away wasn’t a vital detail. He stood up suddenly and closed the book, tucking it into his satchel again. Remus held a hand on his hip, the handle of his sword jutting out from his waist. “They’re gossiping about us,” Remus mused, looking around at the people coming out into the street now as the sun rose higher into the sky, making it almost noon.

“Oh? What about us,” Logan murmured, looking around as the two walked down the street. A few people were staring, some talking in hushed voices to another. A woman gave him a heavy-lidded look and blew a kiss in his direction, causing Logan to turn away quickly, clearing his throat. 

“They think a bounty hunter and a scholar walking around together is a bit unusual.”

“At first I thought the same,” Logan quipped back, Remus laughing at the chide. 

“The nerd’s got sass, does he?”

Logan huffed and playfully gave Remus a shove. “I have no idea what you’re referring to.”

They continued to walk together, silence coming across them. Remus looked somewhat comfortable, but seemed to ease once he saw the town square, which was bustling with people. Logan cringed internally as they reached the crowd, hating the way he had to brush shoulders among the strangers and bump into them on multiple occasions,  _ especially _ when they hit his injured arm. He felt suffocated and nearly lost Remus in the large mass of people and clamor.

“Whoa! You’re drifting a bit,” the bounty hunter called out. He grabbed Logan’s arm—the non-injured one, thankfully—and held onto it, pulling Logan closer to him while also having a way to keep them tethered.

Remus’ grip was tighter than he liked, and quickly shimmied out of his hand, instead clasping his palm with the other’s, which while a little sweaty, was significantly better than the constricting grasp.

They moved through the crowd a lot easier this way, maneuvering without losing each other. Remus suddenly tugged and Logan was pulled violently right, a yelp leaving his lips. He nearly slammed into Remus’ back, but only just stopped himself.

“Remus, what—”

“We’re here!” he announced. Logan let go of Remus’ hand and stepped around him. It was a homey little building, looking exactly like every other blacksmith shop. He knocked on the wooden gate patiently, giving Remus a look. Was the blacksmith even up?

Soon, a figure came into view, a slightly plump man came into their view, smiling and waving, opening the gate. “Hello! May I help you two?”

Remus gave a smile back, though, Logan was slightly put off by the friendly demeanor. He was practically the personification of the sun. “Yes, actually, we need some weapons.”

The blacksmith gave Remus a squinting look while the bounty hunter looked like he was about to burst into laughter.

“Wait, Remus?” The blacksmith immediately brightened  _ even more _ , heading for Remus and quickly squishing him into a hug, nearly lifting him off the ground. “I haven’t seen you in forever!”

Remus wheezed slightly and Logan winced, snickering once he was sent a ‘help me please’ face in his direction.

When he was put down, Remus let his hand rest on the blacksmith’s shoulder. “Nice to see you too, Patton.”

Patton, smiled, and then turned his gaze onto Logan, who gave a shy smile in response. He waved and Patton looked him over, the goggles over his head making the inspection a tad bit more ridiculous. Suddenly, he gasped and turned towards Remus with a sly smile. 

“Is this your boyfriend Remus? I must say he’s a fine one,” he said, holding a gloved hand out to Logan, who took it quickly, but avoided eye-contact, his face warming. “I hope you’ve been treating him well,” Patton said, his eyes showing something paternal.

“Pat! He’s not my boyfriend!” Remus whined, not at all looking as embarrassed as Logan felt. 

“You’re not?” The freckled-man turned back to Logan, then gave him a sheepish smile. “Oops! Sorry about that, I shouldn’t have assumed. It’s just, Remus never really has any company; well, except one person, but other than that, I never see any new faces beside him.”

“It’s completely alright,” Logan promised. “I’m not Remus’ boyfriend, but I  _ am _ accompanying him with a bounty, as I am a client of his.”

“A client, huh? Remus  _ never _ lets his clients join him, even if they wanted to. You must be special, Mister..?”

Remus was about to protest but Logan interrupted with, “Berry, Logan Berry, but please, call me Logan.”

Logan swore he saw a twinkle in the blacksmith’s eyes once he introduced himself. “Well, it’s  _ berry _ nice to meet you Logan.”

Remus snorted loudly and Logan couldn’t help but groan and roll his eyes.

“Anyway, please come on in! You said you needed weapons, right?” Patton piped up. He gestured for the other two to step in and Logan followed, Remus entering first. It wasn’t as big as he thought it would be on the inside, only a few worktables in the main room. There was an oven and metal tools, but nothing that would have suggested anyone else working there.

“Are you the sole employee here?” Logan asked, picking out little details in the area.

Patton had walked over to another room before coming out with a batch of cookies, the smell wafting. “Yes indeed!”

Remus eagerly took a cookie, but Logan simply stood to the side, fiddling with the edge of his sleeves. “Why? Would it not be more productive to hire more people?”

Patton ate a cookie himself and hummed. “Well, no one in town is interested, and I don’t want someone to be  _ forced _ to work here just because I have work I could do,” he explained. “I mean, I would gladly welcome anyone who wants to volunteer or who needs the extra money, but other than that, I can work fine alone.”

Logan nodded, watching Remus wolf down the cookies quickly. 

“So, what made you come with Remus? And more importantly, what let you do it?” Patton asked, looking thoroughly perplexed.

Remus butt in before Logan could respond. “He’s not a regular client! Boss didn’t get them for me this time, I sought  _ him _ out!”

Logan sighed, hanging his head. “He said he wanted money, and my bounty has its...rewards,” he said carefully. Patton simply nodded, not questioning its context or what the bounty was. He was respectful, and probably knew well what the rules were for bounties and bounty hunters. 

“So when you two said you needed weapons do you mean fixed up or forge a new one?”

“Well, I need you to fix a few things, but that’s it. Unless, Logan has something he needs fixed or forged,” Remus informed, the two directing their attention onto the mage.

“Well, nothing too specific, I just need something efficient. Perhaps, if you could, a staff?” he asked.

Patton gave him a kind smile. “Of course, I’d be able to. You sure you don’t want any markings or any extra designs to mark that staff as yours?”

Well, there was  _ one _ thing, but Logan wasn’t sure how careful he had to be with Patton. He hesitated—for too long it seemed—and Patton started to frown. 

“You don’t have to if you don’t want to, Logan, but also know, that if you  _ do _ you can pick anything, I won’t judge.”

_ But you might _ , he thought with frustration. He looked back between Remus and Patton before exhaling slowly. “If it isn’t too much trouble, a-a dragon? On the very top of the staff?” he whispered.

Patton’s eyes widened and he gave Remus and Logan a look. Remus didn’t look all too bothered, albeit, a little shocked the scholar gave away so much information with the simple preference.

Luckily, the blacksmith didn’t start running around with paranoia and go out to alert the authorities. He simply gave a small smile, this one not at all lacking the warmth the previous ones had, and he nodded. “Alright. I’m guessing you two are looking for an  _ illegal _ bounty?” he asked. Logan had to admit he didn’t give Patton enough credit for his observational skills and overall intelligence.

“Yeah, you caught me. Logan are I going to find a dragon,” he said, whispering ominously and dramatically. 

Patton hummed and started grabbing his tools out, wrapping a brown, leather apron around his waist. His sleeves were rolled up and his goggles were tightly secured. Logan was surprised he seemed so calm about the whole topic, though, he supposed with Remus, Patton was used to it. “That sounds like an adventure.”

“It will be!” Remus paused, then gasped. “You should come with us!”

“I should?”

“He should?” Logan stared at the bounty hunter. What purpose would Patton serve to them? He was aware of how cold his logical thought process was, but if he could help it, he would rather keep their party in low numbers. It would be easier to travel and there would be less rations divided among them, therefore keeping them supplied readily for a steady time.

“Of course! Who knows how dangerous the journey is? Our weapons will probably break, and  _ you _ can help us! Plus,” he took another bite of a cookie. “Your baking is not half-bad.”

Patton thanked Remus for the compliment and quickly grabbed some iron, using forging tongs to place them into the sweltering heat of the molten lava in the oven. “That’s a nice offer, kiddo, but I don’t think it would help either of you if I came,” he said, smiling and giving a chuckle. “I would slow you two down. And I’d  _ doubt _ you’d want to hear my stories and jokes, I’d just continue to  _ drag-on _ .”

This prompted another laugh from Remus and another sigh from Logan.

“But don’t you also know how to heal?” Remus asked abruptly. Patton seemed startled at the notion, and jumped slightly.

“Well, yes—”

“You can?” Logan asked, the wound in his arm suddenly aching. Patton turned to him, a little nervous. Eventually, however, he nodded. “I can, why?”

Logan looked away, fiddling with his glasses. “Well, I had gotten injured the other day, and I was wondering if possibly you could help me?”

Wilford did a good job making sure the wound wouldn’t cause too much problem for Logan, but soon they would run out of bandages and soon they'd run out of supplies. There were many things that would go wrong, and some could be at the expense of him. If Patton was truly a good enough healer to bring on their journey, Logan wouldn’t mind too much, not to mention this demonstration would turn out successfully if Remus was telling the truth.

“I suppose, if it would help,” Patton said and he took off his gloves, calloused fingers coming into view. He looked a little pale despite the tanness of his skin and his hand was a little shaky, but when Logan had taken off the bandage for his wound, Patton had already begun to chant, closing his eyes as he whispered his mantra. The mage only caught a few of the scattered words when his skin started to become immensely itchy. He hissed and looked down at his wound, thinking something had gone wrong.

But there was nothing there.

Patton removed his hands, swiping away the sweat that had beaded at his forehead. “Phew! I think that  _ Pat _ -ched you up!” he joked as if to remove the tensions from his shoulders. Logan looked at his arm with amazement, the itchiness that was once there already gone. He carefully brought a hand to his skin and brushed over it; not a hint that the wound had ever been made.

“You’re just as good as the best healers in the country,” Logan whispered in awe, Patton rubbing the back of his head modestly.

“I’m glad you think so.”

“Will you come with us? I think Logan and I  _ both _ agree that you would really help us on our journey!” Remus exclaimed, looking positively excited. Logan nodded silently, not quite understanding what just happened right before his eyes. He’d never been on the other side of these procedures, he’d never seen them happen—or  _ felt _ it happen either. The whole moment was kind of overwhelming for him and he had to go find a place to sit down and regain his bearings.

Patton seemed troubled, then sent Remus a look. “Well, I guess I can,” he said, sounding burdened, but the smile on his face said otherwise. “Who else is going to rein Remus in? Plus, I can teach you,” he pointed to Logan, “how to watch over him.”

Remus gave another laugh and gave Patton a hug. “Yay! Maybe we can get more in our party!”

Logan did a double-take. “More people? Isn’t three already sufficient enough?” he asked a little helplessly.

“Nope! It’s always more fun with more people,” Remus announced. (That’s what she said).

Patton gave him a helpless shrug and Logan quickly realized how hard it must be to change Remus’ mind once the man had his eyes set on something, so he simply nodded along, a little reluctantly.

“I’m assuming we’re all going to leave once your weapons are forged?” the blacksmith asked, walking back over to his station.

“Yup!” Remus called out. He looked over at Logan, the scholar feeling a little nervous as the bounty hunter sent him a mischievous smirk. “In the meantime, the nerd and I will go around the town.”

“Have fun!” Patton called out with a chuckle. Before Logan had the chance to protest, Remus had already grabbed his hand and yanked him out of the shop, a wide smile on his face.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Comments are greatly appreciated


	5. The Stars

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Panic attack, injuries, sensory overload, mentions of alcohol,
> 
> Yell at me if I've forgotten any!

The day had gone by quickly, and Logan was a little frustrated at the fact that they hadn’t left the town yet. The sun was starting to set in the horizon and he was currently walking beside Remus, holding a new scarf and a few pastries from the street market in his hand. Remus had plenty more than Logan, wearing new rings, earrings, and a few silks and scarves in exchange for his cloak—the scholar was currently carrying that. Logan couldn’t deny how attractive he looked, especially after multiple townsfolk sent him compliments and flirtatious comments. He looked so joyous that Logan couldn’t help but simply follow him along all day and give in to his every need. Currently, he was leading the two over to a diner and bar establishment, a lot of loud, boisterous laughter and clamoring coming out from the open door. 

Logan was  _ hesitant _ to say the least. Crowds and noise didn’t sit well with him, but he couldn’t physically find it in himself to say no to the bounty hunter, so he moved back along with him, finding himself seeking out Remus’ hand as they walked into the bar. He talked as they walked, constantly spouting out how amazing this place was and how Logan wouldn’t believe how good the food here was. But the mage was distracted and barely heard him, focusing on his surroundings.

It was stuffy and there were people pressing up against Logan everywhere. He stayed closer to Remus, nearly pushing himself up against the other’s back in an attempt to not lose him and to avoid the feeling of strangers brushing against him in the tight space.

“Remus, do we  _ have _ to be here to eat?” Logan asked eventually, the two of them waiting at the front desk in the line.

“Well, the food here is great! The company is even better,” Remus commented, not at all seeming to catch on that Logan was uncomfortable.

“Can I eat outside? I don’t think I’d be comfortable here,” he said softly, the noise of chatter covering his voice, but Remus seemed to hear him clearly.

“Oh,” he looked disappointed and the scholar instantly felt bad, guilt smacking him in the face. “Yeah, that’s alright, if you want to.”

Logan was about to take back his words when he felt someone behind him, pressing right into his back. Disgust rolled over him violently and he nearly gagged, flinching away from the whoever was behind him and he pressed closer to Remus. 

“Please move,” he tried to say to the person behind them, but either they didn’t listen, or they decided not to, as they pressed even closer. Logan felt trapped and frustrated—he didn’t want to be in this situation. He clawed the back of Remus’ shirt rather frantically, breathing suddenly becoming a chore.

“I’m sorry,” he wheezed as Remus turned and gave him a very concerned look. “I think I’m going to head out,” he choked out. He wriggled out of the space between Remus and the other figure and hurriedly made it out of the building, sitting down by a log near the side. He counted to himself, trying to regain his breath. The cool breeze was significantly better than the bar which reeked of alcohol and strong scents of perfume and body odor. He felt tears prick his eyes, which he immediately chided himself for. It was foolish to be crying over such a small inconvenience. It wasn’t as if he was harmed or to be potentially harmed. He sniffled and used the heel of his palm to swipe away any moisture and he continued to sit outside, looking at the horizon.

The sky was a beautiful shade of pink, orange, and some red, the clouds nearly an indigo in contrast to the sky. The view made him relax almost instantaneously. The breeze made him feel even better as he took another gulp of air. He wanted Remus to come out so they could wait for the sun to set and they could watch the stars peek out from the great, dark, expanse.

The day had been enjoyable, but Logan—selfishly—wanted to show Remus  _ his _ version of fun, for at least, a little while, especially since it seemed this would be the only day they would be able to relax before heading back to their journey. But as Logan waited for Remus to step out, he didn’t, so he continued to wait, bringing his knees up to his chest. He could just have this time to himself; to watch the stars appear and to look for constellations. He already ate plenty enough, he would be able to stay here.

Then the door opened loudly, and Remus came out, holding two plates. “Hey, what happened in there?”

Logan gave him a look then looked away as the bounty hunter settled down beside him. “Nothing,” he said quietly, taking the plate from Remus’ hand.

“You look like you were having a breakdown,” he commented bluntly, taking a bite of his food.

“I can assure, I’m doing fine now.” He took a small bite of his food, his appetite slowly disappearing. The food  _ was _ good though, he had to admit.

“What triggered it?” he asked, his voice uncharacteristically soft. Remus was observant, though he didn’t look it. He  _ was _ a bounty hunter, however, and it would do him no good  _ not _ to be observant. He was also blunt, straight to the point, something others told Logan was considered ‘rude’ and ‘unneeded’. But Remus spoke his mind without confliction, and Logan appreciated that.

Logan stayed silent for a few moments, not sure how much he should say. After all, Remus and he were  _ just _ starting to become friends. How much information should be shared between them? The scholar mentally berated himself for allowing himself to become accustomed to anything other than a professional relationship with the bounty hunter.

“The crowds, the smell, the noise,” he listed off, his voice struggling to stay neutral. “I’ve learned they are called sensory overloads,” he said quietly.

He looked up from his plate of food up at Remus, who was staring at him with intense and guilty eyes. “I’m sorry,” he said sincerely. “I shouldn’t have just dragged you everywhere—”

“It’s alright, Remus, you didn’t know,” Logan said calmly, quirking his lips in a half-smile in an attempt to make the other feel better. “I would rather stay away from places like that, however, in the future.”

“Of course,” came his quick response.

The silence came over them once more and Logan felt at ease, eating what he could before placing the plate down on the dirt, watching the light from the hills slowly disappear. Remus hummed, rocking back and forth; everything about him screamed energy. He was always moving  _ something _ and he never ceded from doing so. From what he had observed, Logan was absolutely sure Remus was the complete opposite to him, which surprised him considering how they were able to get along with one another fairly well.

“The stars are coming out,” Remus observed, startlingly Logan out of his thinking. “I don’t think I’ve ever taken it upon myself to look at the stars.” His eyes were wide with wonder and he gave a small whistle. Logan concluded that he liked that expression. His eyes were bright—not only with curiosity, but also with the light of the moon. It was almost as if his  _ eyes _ were stars. They were so entrancing to look at, Logan noticed, just like the evening sky he gazed at so much. 

“In the city you rarely get to see them,” Logan murmured beside him. “That’s one of the reasons I like the country so much; I get to see the stars.”

Remus turned to him and raised an eyebrow. “I thought you were interested in dragons, not space and the stars.”

“I can have more than one interest,” Logan shot back, fixing his glasses. “A scholar doesn’t simply learn one thing in their studies after all, and since dragons were well off the list of studies, space wasn’t too far off.” He smiled and Remus smiled back.

It was getting late, Logan had noticed. Surprisingly, even with their eyes on the sky, the two didn’t realize how dark it was getting. Remus didn’t at all look tired considering how much energy he would have used up. Logan, however, was drained, his head feeling heavy. Regretful of interrupting their peaceful moment, he stood up, stretching. “We should head back, Remus,” he said. Where ‘back’ was, Logan wasn’t sure. They could go back to the inn from the night before, or perhaps if Patton were willing to, they could spend their night there.

Remus nodded, blinking rapidly as if to release himself from a trance. “Patton’s?” he asked, though it wasn’t really a question. Logan offered a hand and Remus took it, standing up. He kept hold of his hand and started to walk with him back down the street towards Patton’s shop.

While there were still people walking about, it wasn’t as noisy as it was in the afternoon, nor as hot. Mage magic lit the streets in glass lamps and people were sitting on benches or around the fountain, simply enjoying life as it was right now. It made Logan feel happy, yet slightly envious. He wasn’t sure why, but he quickly brushed it off, focusing instead on the close proximity of Remus to him. Usually, he would be uncomfortable with someone so prude being so close to him—let alone touch him. But Remus was different somehow.

Despite his nature, Logan felt more relaxed with him than he did anyone else in his life. Granted, he did push away a number of people. Yet, someone like  _ Remus _ was able to evade the metaphorical wall he had placed upon himself over a lifetime in a matter of days. 

He wrinkled his nose, a sudden headache coming onto him. Perhaps he shouldn’t dwell on it too much, especially not after he was so tired.

“Don’t fall asleep on me,” Remus said beside him. They were nearly there, the shop entering his field of vision. Logan hummed an acknowledgement and he instinctively rubbed his eyes, yawning. 

Remus opened the gate for him, his hand resting at the small of his back to gently maneuver him in, he closed the gate behind them and walked into the second room the two hadn’t yet ventured into when they first walked in. It appeared to be a living room, a few small, mis-matching chairs strewn around the room. There was a table in the middle and a small fireplace in the wall opposite of him. It was surprisingly homey, and Logan felt exhaustion wash over him tenfold. Patton came in from another room, holding a mug of some warm beverage. “Oh! Welcome back you two,” he chirped, lowering his voice once he saw Logan.

Remus led Logan to the couch, and despite his code for manners, the scholar flopped onto the cushion onto his side, nuzzling into the pillow that smelled over burnt cookies and honey.

“You must have quite the adventure today,” Patton commented, his voice muffled. Logan assumed it was because of his drifting in and out of consciousness. He faintly heard Remus chuckle and more muffled talking. He couldn’t help but slowly get lulled to sleep, relaxing as he heard the soft noises of talking and conversation and the crackling of the fire.

~*~

Logan woke up to someone cradling him to his chest. There was an immediate panic and he struggled out of their grip, hitting their chest. There was a yelp and Logan fell to the ground none too gently. He held his hands up in defense, magic sparkling through his finger tips.

Then he saw Remus’ face.

“Remus! My apologies, I didn’t mean to—”

“It’s alright,” he said, clutching his chest. “You have one hell of an arm.”

Logan wanted to reach out, but decided not to, standing up on his own. Remus looked a lot more shaken than the scholar would have liked over a simple punch and he hovered by, waiting until he wasn’t crouched over himself anymore.

“Are you alright?” he whispered.

Remus let out a breath and gave him a smile. “Yeah, you didn’t punch me that hard,” he trailed off.

_ But it’s  _ where _ I punched you that mattered _ , Logan thought bitterly to himself.

Remus seemed to understand Logan’s reaction and said, “Don’t worry about it, alright?” And before Logan could protest, Remus grabbed his hand and started leading him down the hallway.

“Patton has a few spare bedrooms, so you can pick one to stay in for the night.”

“A few?” Logan asked. “I thought he lived alone.”

The bounty hunter gave a snort and smiled, his teeth glinting from the moonlight showing through the long window on the far wall at the end of the hallway.

“What? You think I’m his only friend? I mean, I’d be flattered, but no. He has others that come and go through this town.”

“And do they all present the same symptoms of wanderlust?” Logan muttered, getting a soft laugh from Remus. The scholar didn’t miss the way he looked longingly outside the window, which faced the hills. 

“Yeah, I guess you could say that.”

They stood in silence for a long moment before Remus shimmied, seeming to shake himself out of his trance. “Alright! Choose a room, Wicked Witch of the West!”

Logan rolled his eyes, about to open his mouth to retort that  _ no, he was a mage, witches were entirely different _ , but he figured he might as well let the other have his fun. “The room on the far left of the corridor?” he asked, to which Remus gestured to the room invitingly.

“If you need me, I’ll be in the room across, alright?” he asked. Logan nodded and he entered his room, closing the door behind him—but not before he caught a glimpse of Remus’ gaze. They both looked away quickly and the door closed.

Alone in his room, Logan surveyed the area. 

It was tidy and—much like the living room—was homey and reminded him of those fancy cottages he would read in books. There was a bed in the middle of the room and a light blue, circular, woolen carpet beneath it. There was a dresser on the wall left to it, and a night table to the right of it. There was also a small stool and table, as well as two curtained windows, casting shadows from beneath them from the moonlight.

What was most prominent about the room, however, were the painted walls that depicted the beautiful scenery of the sky.

At one wall was the blue of the sky, white clouds drifting; they looked so realistic Logan thought he’d be able to feel the mist. Then, it melted into the picture of sunset, the orange and red hues mixed with pink brought a warm fuzziness to him. The next wall was by far his favorite, depicting the night sky he loved to observe. While it wasn’t astronomically correct, the stars were painted so stunningly against the dark navy blue of the night sky that Logan appreciated it nonetheless. Finally, on the last wall was sunrise, depicting the brightness of the sun peaking over the land with the blue starting to color the sky along with darker shades of violet and red. 

It was all so wonderful Logan wanted to admire them all night long, but he  _ was _ tired, and when he fell asleep downstairs that was only a nap. He walked carefully to the bed, the headboard resting against the sky of the day. Once he shed his cloak carefully and his boots and vest, he slipped into the covers, not surprised at the softness of the blankets and mattress. Ahead of him in the wall he faced, he saw the entrancing night sky, and Logan watched them, thinking of how much the stars reminded him of Remus’ eyes. Soon after, Logan fell asleep, dreaming of constellations and the sparkle in Remus’ eyes.


	6. The Secret Mission Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: implied child abuse, hitting, injury, nightmares, bad memories, dead name mention, crying, binding, violence
> 
> Yell at me if I've missed any!

_ It was another night, this one as predictable as the others. He and his twin had been sitting in front of the fireplace, exchanging stories to each other. It was something that brought them a simple happiness; something that made the two of them remember the stories their mother would tell when they were little. Sometimes their father would join in too. Story-telling was something that made them remember what it felt to be  _ happy _ . _

_ But it never lasted long. _

_ The shadow of their father’s approaching figure showed through the crack of the front door, the warmth of the room disappearing instantly. Remus quickly urged Roman to their room, which he quickly did, running down the hall to their bed. Luckily, they had learned after a while to know what to do. Remus would alert him, and he would go into their bed and hide there until Remus gave him the all-clear. What ever happened to their father that would make him come home and take out their frustrations of Remus and Roman? The younger never knew, Remus did however. It was because of  _ her _ . They just accepted the course and protected and comforted each other when it was necessary. _

_ This time was no different. _

_ The door opened with less than finesse. Remus turned around, trying not to tremble. But he was sure that he was immune to it now. He was used to it.  _

_ “Elena.”  _

_ The name making Remus coil with unease., and for more than one reason Still, he replied, “Yes?” _

_ “Where’s your brother?” _

_ Remus froze, gripping his knees tightly. “H-he’s out, getting groceries,” he tried to explain, but his voice came out a mere whisper. _

_ His father’s eyes hardened and he grabbed Remus’ wrist tightly, causing him to cry out. Suddenly, Remus was thrown against the wall, his head spiraling with pain. He let out a yelp and tried to get up, but couldn’t, his vision hazy. _

_ “Don’t lie to me,” he hissed. “Ladies don’t lie.” _

_ Remus tried to protest, but tears met his eyes and he let out a silent sob, shivering on the floor. Every inch of his body resisted movement, but he  _ had _ to protect Roman. There was never anything as important as doing that in this one moment. He tried to crawl to their room, but their father had already made it down the hall. Remus let out an agonized cry, when the ‘thumps’ and the pained cries of their sibling rang out through the house, a sob tearing from his throat. _

_ “I’m sorry,” he whispered hoarsely into the wood beneath him. “I’m sorry…” _

~*~  
  


Remus woke up with a sweat, his hand violently gripping a pillow beside him while the blankets were tangled up near his feet. He sat up and ran his fingers through his messy hair, trying to regain his bearings. He wasn’t sure what time it was, but it  _ definitely _ wasn’t sunrise yet. He moved out of the bed, stumbling onto the floor, breathing finding itself to be difficult. He brought his knees to his chest and he tried to calm down, thinking of whatever exercises he had learned along the course of his life.

“I’m sorry,” he murmured, bringing his hands up to cup his cheeks, only just realizing there were tear tracks lining his face. He let out another sob and hunched in on himself, trying to calm down.  _ Another _ nightmare, how fun. He thought he was well off from them by now. Usually they would come, then disappear—those were the nights Remus relished the most.

He wanted comfort, especially considering how dark and lonely it was in his room. He wanted someone to hug away the feeling of failure and envelop him in their arms long enough to distract him from the sounds of a hand hitting skin.

Without consciously doing so, Remus found himself moving out of his room and across the hall, directly to where Logan was residing currently. He knocked on the door, feeling uncharacteristically cold standing in the dark hallway. The moon didn’t serve as a comforting reminder either, so he cowered in his spot, his arms tightly hugging himself. He hoped the nerd wasn’t a heavy sleeper.

Eventually, after a few moments, the door opened slightly, messied hair peeking out from the crack in the door. Eyes then met his, ones that had heavy fatigue lingering in them with dark circles beneath. “Remus?” he asked, his voice husky.

Remus surged forward and tackled Logan in a hug, the other making a startled noise, nearly tripping backwards, but he steadied himself, tentatively wrapping his arms around Remus in return. “What happened? Nightmare?” he prompted, still groggy.

Remus answered with a nod, feeling relieved as he sunk into the embrace of his friend. “If you don’t mind, can I just—can  _ we _ just stay here like this for a bit?” he nearly pleaded. Logan was warm where every other inch of the house was cold, and that was very comforting to him.

Logan seemed to hesitate, but eventually he nodded. “If it would help, perhaps we should move inside, though. I wouldn’t want to stand.”

With another nod, Remus started walking to the bed with Logan, feeling the stark cold from the brief distance as he was let go. Logan sat at the edge of the bed, patting the space beside him to which Remus hurried over to. He opened his arms, giving the scholar a look as if to ask if it was okay to approach him this time, and he hummed ‘yes’ and Remus gave him another hug, but this one less frantic. Logan wasn’t going anywhere.

“I’ve heard that talking about nightmares and bad events might ease whatever metaphorical weight you might carry on your shoulders. If you need to, you could tell me about anything, if it helps,” Logan said softly. His hands were wrapped around Remus’ back, his hands resting gently on the small of it. Everything about this setting made Remus slump and feel immensely relaxed and tired. He didn’t want to move, and he sure as  _ hell _ didn’t want to tell Logan about what he dreamt.

“Nuh,” Remus mumbled and simply settled for resting his chin on Logan’s shoulder, closing his eyes.

How did he live so long without company?

Logan hummed and swayed sleepily. “Alright,” he whispered back and yawned.

Remus was suddenly gripped by the idea of being left alone, by being told to go out and back to his room. He didn’t want to suffer in such isolation. He found his grip on Logan growing tighter, and he didn’t stop until the mage hissed out and gently shook away Remus’ hand. 

“What’s wrong?” he asked gently. He seemed to pick up on the cues quickly.

Remus shifted, then took in an uneven breath. “Can I stay here for the night?” 

At first, Logan didn’t say anything, which made Remus fearful of the oncoming refusal and the following boot-kick out the door. But that wasn’t what Logan said. He, instead, pulled back from their hug and said, “If that would make you comfortable, of  _ course _ you could.”

With a sigh of relief, Remus made himself comfortable in their hug and stayed there, content with falling asleep sitting upright as long as it was with somebody. “Thank you,” he said sincerely, leaning his entire body weight against Logan, who didn’t seem to mind at all. He was really sturdy, Remus observed.

“There’s no need for that,” he paused, yawning once more. “Just get some sleep.” He carefully scooted over so that his back was pressed against the pillows by the headboard and he leaned back against them, one arm tucked carefully around Remus.

“Good night,” Remus whispered, but he quickly fell unconscious before he heard Logan respond back.

  
~*~  
  


There was a small knock coming from the door and Remus jolted up, hair sticking up in certain places and drool rolling down his chin. He quickly wiped it away with the back of his forearm and he stretched. He paused though, looking around; this wasn’t his usual guest room.

_ Logan.  _

Remus turned and found the scholar sleeping beside him, one arm draped around him and the other underneath a pillow. He smiled, realizing he slept so well he didn’t even remember the moments prior to him going to Logan’s room. He nearly lept out of the bed at the thought and he hurried to the door, opening it slowly.

Patton was there to greet him, a warm and fond expression on his face—though, it quickly turned into a surprised one. Then a cheeky one. “Good morning Mister-he’s-not-my-boyfriend,” he commented, giving a soft chuckle. Remus put his hands on his hips and blew a strand of hair out of his face. “Shut up,” he said, swatting at him playfully. “He just comforted me last night; it was purely platonic and PG.”

“Considering you’re Remus, I’m having a hard time believing that,” Patton said skeptically.

Remus waved it off, shrugging. “Anyways, what’cha need?”

“I was going to ask if you were ready?”

Remus pulled a thinking face.  _ Ready...ready...oh!  _

“Oh! That! Yeah, don’t worry, we’ll get ready real soon!” he said, rubbing the back of his neck in a sheepish matter.

Patton rolled his eyes. “Well, this Pat’s back- _ pat _ is well  _ pat _ -ked already!”

The bounty hunter had to suppress a giggle. “Alright, alright, don’t torture me with your puns and get outta here, I’ll meet you downstairs.”

“There’s pancakes waiting!” the blacksmith called out as he walked down the hall.

“Are they still warm?” Remus asked as his stomach rumbled. Being given one of Patton’s pancakes was like receiving nectar from the gods. 

Another laugh. “You  _ butter _ believe it!”

As Remus left the door ajar, Logan stirred on the bed, his hair somehow looking slightly neater than last night. He yawned and rubbed his eyes, the light from the curtains drawing onto his face. “Oh, Remus, salutations,” he said, seeming to  _ also _ forget that Remus was with him.

“Morning,” he replied. “We gotta get ready for the journey Specs.” He drew the curtains, the sun starting to shine brighter now. There didn’t seem to be too many clouds drifting among the blueness of the sky—which looked curiously, a  _ lot _ like the wall of Logan’s guest bedroom—and Remus had a good feeling about today.

Logan nodded. “I shall meet you downstairs,” he said, which was an obvious ‘please go out, I need to change, and so do you’ message. Remus nodded and started walking to the door. “See ya!”

He closed the door behind him and started walking to his room, remembering how only last night he felt so small and so dreadfully lonely. Now, his room was enveloped with light from the sun, the scattered sheets and clothes making the room feel more homey. He sighed to himself, thinking he was hopeless as he started to get changed and pack up his belongings. He took his shirt off, scratching a bit at his bandages. Yes, he knew he wasn’t safe to leave them on at night, but he didn’t want to just  _ not _ wear them. He shivered. It’ll be fine, he would change them later.

Afterward, he went downstairs, finding Patton sitting and chatting with Logan, who looked fairly well rested despite Remus’ disturbance of sleep in the middle of the night. He felt a little guilty and quickly sat down in a chair, across from Logan, slumping down. “Good morning.”

They said their replies and Patton went into the kitchen for a brief moment before coming back and bringing a large stack of pancakes, still fluffy and warm. He grabbed the pitcher of syrup and some chocolate chips before handing it to Remus. 

“Thanks Pattycakes!” Remus said, digging in. He was starving, but to be fair, he always was.

“Did you sleep well, Remus?” came Logan’s voice. He was looking through the journal—both journals actually. Patton was eyeing them warily, as if still learning to get used to the whole ‘illegal researching’ thing. Between the look they shared briefly over the table, Remus said, “Great, thanks for asking.”

“You two are adorable, you know that?” Patton said, giving them a bright smile. Remus made a dismissive noise while Logan returned to reading, his cheeks flushing the slightest bit.

“Not as adorable as you,” Remus shot back, making Patton laugh, giving a modest ‘oh you’. The man took his own finished plate to the kitchen going to wash it, leaving Remus and Logan alone.

“Remus,” Logan started off. There was a lilt in his voice that made Remus dread the question to come.

“Yes?” he answered hastily, continuing to stuff his mouth to try and avoid talking.

“Did you take care of yourself last night before you turned in for the night? Did you drink water? Did you eat enough to satisfy your mounting hunger? Did you change your bandages? Or rid of them before sleeping?” 

Remus wondered incredulously how Logan was able to catch on, but he  _ was _ a scholar, and watchful. His look already gave the hint that he already knew the answer, but Remus felt obliged to respond and meekly said with a smile, “Maybe..?”

An irritated sigh came from Logan’s mouth and he fixed his glasses. “It’s unhealthy for you to leave them on too long. I’m sure you didn’t wrap them deathly tight, but they’re still going to constrict you and do damage if you leave them on too long.”

Before Remus could retort, someone cleared their throat.

He turned around, greeted by Patton leaning on the door frame, giving Remus the Disappointed Dad Look™. Remus looked down, twiddling his fingers and tapping his foot anxiously.

“Logan is right, Remus. It’ll have bad consequences, and I should know, I’m a healer.”

He made an over dramatic sigh and stuffed another piece of pancake in his mouth, the pieces drenched with syrup beyond oblivion. “Okay, okay.”

There was an uneasy silence before Remus perked his head up and asked, “What?”

“Perhaps, changing it right before we leave would be a suitable conclusion.”

Remus wanted to argue, but today was going pretty well. He was sure if he was ever feeling uneasy he wouldn’t hesitate to tell either Logan or Patton. He gave a small shrug and said, “Okay, but after breakfast.”

They continued to eat, er, well,  _ Remus _ continued to eat. Logan was still serenely reading and Patton whistling soft tunes and packing the things he needed. The minute the bounty hunter’s fork left the plate, he headed to Remus’ seat and grabbed the plate that had been  _ just _ finished, leaving Remus with an astounded yet fond face. 

Patton gave him a wink. “Dad instinct.”

Logan rolled his eyes with a huff and Remus gave a soft chuckle, pushing his chair out and pushing it in, heading back upstairs. He could feel the scholar’s gaze on his back and he paused a second, trying to hide the warm feeling in his chest when he heard the scraping of another chair against wood. “Do you need assistance, Remus?”

Trying to act as if the request didn’t affect him whatsoever he scoffed and turned to the mage. “I mean, I guess it would be easier,” he said, giving Logan a smile.

It was returned subtly and Logan started following him up the stairs, going into Remus’ room. The two ransacked the nearby bathroom and quickly found some bandages, taking them. Remus reassured the other that Patton wouldn’t mind the missing gauze as he already knew what they were using it for so Logan silently agreed and they headed over to the safety of the room, closing the door behind them. Remus cracked his knuckles as if to prepare for something and he started taking his sash, then his vest, then his shirt off, wincing a little as he stretched diagonally. Seemed the bandages  _ were _ doing some damage after all.

Logan sat beside him. “May I?”

Remus nodded, shaking his hands as a way to calm his nerves. “Yeah, hold on, lemme—” Remus grasped near the side of his body, finding the end of the bandage tucked into the wrap. He carefully pulled it out and began the unwrap. Logan froze, his mouth closing an opening like a goldfish. The sight was so peculiar that Remus had to laugh, a snort coming out. “What?” he asked, amused thoroughly.

The scholar proceeded to once again be flustered before clearing his throat. “I just- I didn’t know we were already at such a comfortable standpoint in our...relationship for you to be so open about this,” he said lamely, gesturing to the current circumstance they were in.

It took a moment for Remus to correctly process the words, but eventually and gave a cheeky smile. “What? Never seen a fellow human naked?” he teased.

“Well, precisely, but that’s beside the point—”

He looked so lost for words that Remus decided to take pity on him. “I was just joking, if you’re uncomfortable with it, then you can turn around while I take the bandage off, then I’ll start the new wrap, then you can help,” he said gently.

Logan nodded, looking relieved. “That is an adequate proposal.”

He then turned around, making sure to keep his face and gaze staring straight. Remus gave a soft chuckle, then started unwrapping the bandages. There was usually the relief of being free from such confines once they were off, then the usual unease that bubbled up once they were off for a few minutes or more. On good days, he wouldn’t feel anything but normal, and he would sometimes consider leaving the bandages off for the day. On bad days, he didn’t even  _ consider _ taking them off.

Today was so-so, and he quickly averted his gaze before grabbing the roll and wrapping as neatly as he could. He whistled to get Logan’s attention, which didn’t seem to work all that much.

“Hey Space Geek, you can turn around now,” he called out.

Slowly, the mage started turning around, his eyes in a half-squint as if he wasn’t trusting of Remus’ words, but, eventually he opened them and seemed to calm himself. He gave an incentive as if to ask Remus if he could touch him, and with permission, he started wrapping the bandages, making them a  _ lot _ looser than they were the past few days.

He wanted to pry, but decided against it, lest Logan started lecturing him again for his recklessness and lack of self-preservation. They had only been traveling buddies for a few days, but that already seemed to be a common theme.

He  _ wrapped  _ it up pretty quickly—ha—and Remus was allowed to stretch and put his clothes back on, feeling more energetic now. “Alright! we‘ve been holed up in this town long enough!”

“It’s been two days—”

“—we should hurry up and get outta here!”

The two hurried downstairs where Patton had already cleaned up what he could and had his travel bag with him. He assured both Remus and Logan that he only packed the essentials, but knowing Patton, that could have been anything. After Logan had double-checked everything, the three were finally on their way, much to Remus’ relief. Logan had taken his journal out and flipped through the pages, looking at the location sightings of where dragons were seen or found.

“We should start heading towards the Nyoka Mountains,” he murmured, his thumb brushing over the location on the page.

Patton gawked. “That’ll take days! Maybe weeks! Isn’t there, perhaps, a location that’s closer?”

Logan set his mouth in a firm line. “The Nyoka Mountains was the only place that William—sorry,  _ Wilford _ —found he had the most interactions and encounters with dragons. It’s also isolated from most of the country and it marks as a border, so many don’t travel there willingly. If we didn’t want to travel by foot, a boat could be taken, as the mountains are surrounded by a bay.” 

The blacksmith didn’t seem to question who Wilford was, so Remus assumed Logan filled him in on what had happened the past few days during breakfast.

Remus huffed. “Boats are expensive, plus—” he wrapped both of his arms around Patton and Logan’s shoulders. “It’s more fun if we drag this out! This  _ is _ an adventure after all!”

Logan sighed and fixed his glasses, but didn’t try to heave Remus off of him, which the bounty hunter saw as a win.

“We’ll pass by several towns on our way there, one of them being the capital city, Caeruleus,” he informed the two, both Remus and Patton getting an excited look in their eyes. They turned to each other and gave a laugh.

“What?” the scholar asked, confused.

“My twin and I live there! Well, my  _ twin _ does, I live  _ everywhere _ ,” he commented. It would be nice to drop by and say hi to his sibling after being away for so long. Then again, Roman might not even be there; he had taken fancy to be a knight and serving some lord. One day, she had told him, she hoped to serve the Royal Highness, but Remus didn’t understand why his sibling wanted to contribute to the corrupt monarchy. He was definitely weird indeed, much too dramatic and chivalrous.

“Do you think Roman would be happy to see us?” Patton asked, looking positively delighted.

Remus nodded. “I sure hope so! She might be gallivanting around and playing ‘knight in shining armor’ though, so I’m not sure of whether or not we’ll see him.”

Logan seemed confused, but he nodded as if he understood completely the exchange, but he probably had more questions as indicated by the furrowed brow and wandering eyes. Either way, that topic of conversation was quickly retired and the three started walking in silence, staring out at the open expanse of the countryside.

Remus sighed to himself, already regretting his enthusiasm to leave the town. This was going to be a long journey if they continued to walk in silence.

But Logan looked content with reading the journal while walking, seemingly able to both read and walk with caution without looking. Patton also looked happy, filling in the quiet with humming and jostling. Remus didn’t want to disturb that, so, instead, he focused on his own thoughts, praying they weren’t as invasive as they usually were. What a weird trio they must seem. A scholar mage, a bounty hunter, and a blacksmith. He felt giddy, this entire experience was starting to feel like an authentic adventure.

“Since you have the map, you better lead us the right way,” Remus chided Logan after a while, unable to help himself. He clapped a hand on his shoulder.

Logan shrugged it off and continued walking. “Of course. By midday we should be half-way towards the next town.”

“Sounds great!” Remus replied. Looking up from their trek, another forest met their gaze, the trees a little less tall and more sparse. It was less intimidating than the one Logan and Remus had gotten kidnapped from, and it gave the bounty hunter intense relief, albeit, a little disappointment.

“According to the map, this forest isn’t hard to navigate, and isn’t widely spread, we should be able to get through fairly quickly if we don’t take any breaks.”

“Everyone used the bathroom?” Remus asked jokingly, nudging Patton with his elbow. When he got nods and stares, he leapt up. 

“Then let us have ourselves some adventure!”

He took a step and was met with a knife to his throat.


	7. The Tag Along

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Violence, injuries, blood, mentions of death
> 
> Tell me if there are any more!

Remus honestly didn’t know what he was expecting. Safety? A lackluster trip that would ensure all the recipients come out unharmed? It was  _ never _ like that. He held his hands up while Patton gasped, taking a step back. Logan was immediately on guard, bringing a hand over Patton to shield him. The person in front of him was wearing a dark black cloak, the hood covering their eyes and a mask over their mouth.

“Are you an NPC?” Remus asked, looking over at them to flash a wink.

The offender immediately stepped back, uncovering the hood over their head. “Remus?”

A moment of shock ran through Remus’ system before he gawked. “Virgil? What are you doing here?”

The cloaked-man eyed the traveling party with weird looks, stopping on Patton with a jolt of surprise, before returning to Remus. “What are  _ you _ doing here? Last I checked, your bounty was off the coast.”

Remus put his hands on his hips, tapping his foot with a frown. “I thought I told you to stop digging through the Boss’ files!”

The two bickered in the middle of the path, Logan shooting looks of confusion to Patton while he shrugged in response.

“Not that I want to interrupt whatever  _ this _ is,” Virgil commented after a moment, gesturing to Remus’ group. “But you guys shouldn’t be here.”

“Please elaborate, because this is the  _ fastest _ way to get through to the next town,” Logan said, looking annoyed.

“Virgil, please let us go,” Patton pleaded, giving his infamous puppy-dog eyes to the other. 

The thief flushed and looked away, bringing his fringe over his eyes. “Stop, don’t do that. I’m serious. My gang and I are looting over a few trees ahead. You’re going to be innocent bystanders that get caught up in the crossfire.”

“Looting?!” Patton gave a disappointed stare and frowned. “What innocent people got preyed on—”

“The Royal Guard,” Virgil said quickly.

Patton made an ‘o’ shape with his mouth and silenced himself.

“Wait, why are  _ you _ here and everyone else over there?” Remus asked.

Logan pointed in front of them, the sound of metal clanging against metal and the clamor of angered voices coming closer and closer.

“I was bait,” Virgil seethed. He pushed the three away. “Get out of here!” He quickly tucked the hood back over his head.

Logan and Patton were quick to comply, going into the nearby trees and hiding behind them as best as they could; the field grass wasn’t tall enough for a good hiding spot. Remus hesitated, then stuck beside Virgil as the guards came stomping closer and closer. His friend whipped around and shot him a look, but Remus had already unsheathed his sword, his eyes gleaming. “There’s no way I’m passing up giving the Royal Guards some ass kicking,” he said, daring Virgil to send him with the others.

Virgil, instead, gave him a smirk back, grabbing out two scythes. “I get it.”

With a quick motion, Remus grabbed his throwing knives, aiming them at the oncoming opposers. One made its mark, hitting someone right between the plates of armor. They fell down with a pained groan. The other, bounced harmlessly off the armor of another. Virgil started advancing, avoiding any arrows that had been raining down on them. By the looks of it, many had been stolen of their swords and shields, and luckily there didn’t seem to be many. All looked identical, the same logo of the kingdom’s monarchy on their chest plates and shoulder pads.

“Well don’t just  _ stand there _ ,” Virgil called out, weaving quickly in between the guards. There were panicked cries and movement, most of the sentries scrambling to grab out their daggers—their last resort weapons.

Remus nodded and quickly started grabbing out whatever daggers had been in his sash. He felt the hilt of one and whistled—that was Patton’s newly forged one. He didn’t want to waste it yet, so he simply rushed in alongside Virgil and started engaging upfront, adrenaline running through his veins. He ducked, only narrowly missing a close jab to his arm. He retaliated quickly, pushing one hand forward and jutting his leg out, meeting his opponent halfway and slamming his knee and dagger into the exposed parts of their armor. He suddenly stopped as someone caught him off-balance, their elbow slamming into his chest, making him wheeze.

They grabbed his hand roughly and hauled it over their shoulder, slamming him down onto the ground with a choked gasp. He scrambled up, watching as Virgil was left with one other guard, the two face to face with teeth bared. There were a few holes in his clothing, blood pouring from the openings. Before he could move over to help him, a dagger came flying past him, the blade just barely nicking his face. He stumbled back in surprise, trying to arm himself, but realized his sword had fallen off his belt when he was knocked down. He gave a panicked yelp, trying to dodge whatever was coming to hit him.

The offender gave a grim smile and raised their weapon, only to be knocked down by a large fiery inferno. Remus perked up in visible confusion, trying to place where the fire had come from. Then he saw it, from the trees.

Logan was out from his hiding spot, his hands sparkling. It looked like it was causing him fatigue however, as he looked a little drained compared to before. Ignoring the pained cries of the guard, he shot a look at Virgil, who seemed to be handling himself well, luckily. He gave Logan a thumbs up and ran over to help his friend, grabbing his sword from the ground.

The thief was panting, his face flushed from exertion and his grip slowly growing more and more shaky with each parry. Remus quickly snuck behind the attacker, slamming his sword into the crack of the armor in their back; the person giving a squeak, before falling over, dead.

Virgil fell to his knees in relief, his forearm coming up to his forehead to wipe away the sweat. “Thanks,” he mumbled, clasping Remus’ hand. The bounty hunter pulled him up. “Don’t mention it.”

A few moments later, Logan and Patton came running towards them, Patton looking particularly distressed. Remus was about to reassure his kind friend when the blacksmith rushed past him, immediately going into Virgil’s arms. “You idiot!”

As he rambled incoherently into Virgil’s chest, Remus turned to Logan, who had a stern but relaxed expression on his face. “Patton’s right. You are an idiot.”

Remus gave a chuckle and nudged Logan with his arm. “Hey! I got out without a scratch on me! I’d say I did a damn well good job of taking care of myself.” Even while he said so, there was a soft, but distinct pain coming from his ribs.

The scholar didn’t respond, which most likely meant Remus had rested his case. He ran a hand through his hair, then turned his attention to Logan when he sighed. 

“You need to be more careful in the future,” he muttered, his eyes flicking up to the small scratch on Remus’ cheek. He didn’t realize until now that it had been steadily bleeding, the warm liquid slowly sliding down his face. He used the back of his sleeve and wiped off anything he could below the cut. “Don’t worry about me,” Remus insisted again.

“At least let Patton try to heal you, I highly doubt you were able to come out of the battle without having a few scrapes,” he commented, directing his attention solely at the cut on Remus’ cheek. The bounty hunter gave a modest shrug, letting Logan lead him to a stump where they could temporarily sit. Patton was doing the same, looking very fussy while Virgil tried to reassure him as best he could.

“Alright, I’ll get to you in a moment, Remus. Virgil seems to be bleeding in more than one place,” he said, giving Virgil a stern glare before bringing his hands to the wounds that were present on the thief. Remus and Logan sat nearby, the two sitting awkwardly with each other. Remus noticed how oddly intimate Patton’s interaction with Virgil was, so he decided to give them their privacy and he turned to Logan, giving him a cheeky grin.

“What?” was asked in return, the scholar making an exasperated face before the statement had even come out.

“You know what’s going on, don’t you?” he asked, looking over at Patton and Virgil. He gave the same face, this one more mischievous than the other. Logan, the smart, but emotionally dense man, didn’t seem to catch on too well, looking over at Patton and Virgil, then back to Remus again with a confused gaze.

“What?” he asked again.

Remus sighed, his shoulders falling dramatically with the breath. He shook his head with a soft smile. “Nevermind.”

Once Patton finished—which took a considerable amount of time, mind you—he quickly patched up the small injuries Remus had acquired, giving him a small scolding, though it was nowhere near as brutal and tedious as Virgil’s.

The thief currently was walking around the surrounding area, making sure no more guards wandered into their area. When he came back he simply stood around awkwardly as Remus and Logan stood with Patton, the three making sure they were okay. Remus walked over to his friend, giving him a quirk of his eyebrow. “So where are your friends?”

The answer was a grimace, and Virgil tucked the hood of his cloak over his head. “Gone,” he muttered.

Remus frowned slightly. “I thought they had a code: ‘Never leave a fellow robber behind’?” 

“Yeah, well they were under...life-threatening circumstances. If they left, it was for good reason, you know? I mean, there  _ were _ Royal Guards chasing after them, that’s pretty risky if you ask me.”

“But you guys were the ones to  _ confirm _ that you were going to rob them specifically.”

Virgil mumbled something akin to a confirmation but kept his eyes down. He was such a hypocrite sometimes, calling Remus’ work environment ‘unhealthy’ when his too was in the same condition.

“Why don’t you come with us?” Remus asked, his eyes shining brighter at the idea. With Virgil along, he could add to the number of people in their party, not to mention Virgil’s skills would obviously come in handy if they were ever in danger from the kingdom’s authorities or just in general.

Logan seemed to have overheard him as he came over with a displeased expression. “Another person joining?”

Virgil seemed to agree, nodding as well. “I wouldn’t want to hold you guys back, you seem to have enough people anyway. What  _ exactly _ was that bounty though? Usually you don’t have people walking with you to find it,” he paused and muttered, “Not to mention that’s not the information I’ve received.”

With a raised eyebrow, Logan replied, “I am not a traditional client, I suppose could be the way to phrase it. Instead of requesting a bounty be found for me, Remus instead took it upon himself to approach  _ me _ whether he could find the bounty as per my quest.”

Remus was met with a questioning look from Virgil. “Why him?” he asked gruffly.

“Money,” he replied, but was met with a harder stare. He groaned and pouted, blowing hair out of his face. “I was looking for an adventure, and a possible excuse to do illegal shit, happy?” 

Virgil gave a smirk. “Yeah, sure.”

Patton looked hesitantly at their conversing, then came up to them. “As much it’s true that Logan has a point, I think it would be best if you came along with us. Then I wouldn’t be so worried about you and your recklessness—”

“ _ — _ And you could protect  _ us _ from  _ our _ recklessness!” Remus chirped in.

“ _ Your _ recklessness,” Logan corrected, fixing his glasses.

He hesitated, looking somewhat swayed, but still stubborn. He exchanged a look with Patton and Remus gave a little jump; Patton always managed to persuade him somehow.

There were a few moments of shifting and waiting before Virgil crossed his arms. “How ‘bout I’ll  _ think _ about it when I walk you guys to the next towns. Sound fair?”

Remus tackled him with a hug, a huge smile on his face. He picked him up, causing the other to squeak in surprise and scramble to right himself. “Okay! Okay, I get it Remus! Put me down!”

The man obliged, lowering his friend back onto the ground. Virgil dusted his clothes off and tugged the edge of his cloak to cover more of his face. “Now hurry up before I change my mind _ —not _ that I have a decision yet!”

Patton gave a fond eye roll and started walking with Remus and Logan in tow. Virgil jogged up to be the leader of their little line, his hand on his belt at all times as if prepared for everything and anything to come and jump out at them. If it wasn’t so persistent, Remus might have called it endearing.

The trek through the woods took longer than he had expected with a lot of turns and forks in the road despite the simplicity of the area itself. Not that he was complaining though, it was nice to hang out with his friends all together. He found himself drifting closer to Logan, then Patton, then Virgil, bumping them gently and affectionately. Virgil gruffed at how it was distracting him while the mage simply turned the other way, seemingly trying to ignore him. Patton bumped back, a smile sent his way.

Remus tried to make small talk, to which only Patton chipped in. Luckily the forest wasn’t deathly silent nor dark, which left the bounty hunter to better appreciate his surroundings and keep himself distracted without bothering the others. He watched as a bird twittered and flitted between the branches of the trees overhead and he cooed at the squirrels he was able to spot before they quickly ran to hide in the undergrowth. His attention was only diverted when he looked back at Logan, seeing a soft light being emitted from his hands.

He didn’t say anything at first, but audibly gasped once he saw the light form into mist, then into what seemed like stars. He drifted immediately towards him, leaning over his shoulder to glance at the bit of magic in his presence. 

“What spell are you doing?” he whispered.

Logan’s concentration seemed to be broken the minute Remus had applied himself near, his hands straying from the pattern he was performing. His brow furrowed and he let out a frustrated noise before turning to Remus. “Just an exercise to make me—or shall I say, my hands—more pliant when using spells I need.”

Remus looked over at Patton as if he needed to confirm this fact to which he got a nod. He turned back to the mage, pulling lightly on his index finger as he walked backwards in front of him. “I wanna see it again!”

There came a soft scoff from Virgil and Remus could practically  _ hear _ the eye roll, but he ignored it. Under the attention of Remus, Logan seemed to be a little shy, but he slowly got used to the lingering looks and gazes, and he continued to entertain the bounty hunter as if he were a five-year-old. Patton was chatting and whispering to Virgil while they were doing so—Remus suspected they were gossiping and talking about them.

The light from Logan’s palm was entrancing, and Remus’ cat-like instincts kicked in, his hand batting the stream of magic and Logan’s palm in the process. There was a startled jolt from Logan, and Remus lifted his palm up almost immediately, sending the scholar an apologetic look; the light and wisps had flickered out.

“Only observe,” Logan reprimanded, sending Remus a look. The other gave a nervous chuckle and nodded, playing his hair and twirling it with his finger.

“Stop,” Virgil suddenly announced, Logan and Remus nearly bumping into his back.

“What?” Remus asked in a stage-whisper, coming up behind his emo-friend and resting his chin on his shoulder.

The four stopped and listened silently, Remus trying to make out what could possibly emit danger. Logan and Patton pressed closer into their little group’s circle.

Remus watched as Virgil’s eyes darted back and forth from the trees and the shrubbery, then he looked back at the others, giving them a warning look before eventually grabbing a dagger and throwing it into what seemed like leaves and tree trunks. But there was a shocked cry and Virgil headed over. Remus followed just to make sure nothing happened, afterall, when with Virgil,  _ anything _ could happen.

Luckily, his friend’s aim was good, and the dagger hit into his target’s side, the figure hunched and clutching the wound. It didn’t seem to have been deep enough to puncture or wound any internal organs, though Remus wasn’t sure if that aim was planned by his friend or not. Virgil knelt down and reached out to them, pressing a hand to the trunk behind them. “You’re with the Royal Guard, yes?”

They gave a shaky nod. Remus reckoned they were the newest recruit, seeing how scared they were currently.

“Good, now here’s the deal: you can run back to your jackass king  _ only  _ if you say  _ nothing _ about us. If you refuse, I will kill you, and if you accept and then go back on your word I will find you and I will kill you, but it will be  _ devastatingly _ more painful,” Virgil threatened, looking dead serious about his statement.

To say Remus wasn’t surprised at how threatening his friend was was an understatement. Virgil had a deadly look in his eyes, one hand ready to wound the other if necessary. Of course, Remus was all in for violence, but this soldier looked so young, enough to be ensnared by the King’s horrible ideals of right and wrong. He placed a steady hand on Virgil’s shoulder as if to say ‘dude, chill out,’ and luckily Virgil got the message, though, he still had a stony expression. 

The soldier didn’t say anything for a long time, not moving either, and Remus was wondering whether they had bled out, but eventually they looked up and gave a firm yet terrified nod. “Y-yes. I won’t tell the King.”

Virgil gave them a hard look, then stepped back, sighing. “Go now, and remember,” he pointed two fingers at them. “I’m  _ watching _ you.”

They whimpered and nodded, scrambling up as quickly as they could running off. Remus raised an eyebrow at the thief but he simply walked back to their group, motioning them to hurry up. “C’mon, I don’t trust that soldier, we better hurry up before more guards show up.”

“But I thought none had escaped,” Logan commented.

“We can never be too sure,” Virgil grumbled, hurrying at a speed walk.

The four hurried their way down the path until they were out of the forest and surrounded by fields once more. There were hills and hills, but beyond the landscape, there was a tiny bit of gleaming light that reflected the sun; that was Caeruleus.

It was pretty far—another day’s journey if they were slow—but Remus wasn’t complaining. They had just barely started their journey and there was already some violence and action! Not to mention Virgil was stuck with his group for the next few hours, or a day. He was rather ecstatic about it, as if his bouncing around merrily hadn’t already given it away. Logan seemed to want to bury himself in his map and novels however, either not wanting any attention from everyone else.

They didn’t take any breaks between the trek, the group filled with energy after the initial attack. It was near sunset when they were able to stop by a trading post, a few people already grouping around the small rest stop area. Patton cooed at the horses they passed while Virgil tried to make himself scarce, telling the others he would walk around by himself. Remus was slightly adverse to this, considering his friend could be using this as a way to abandon them, but Virgil promised he wouldn’t, and Remus couldn’t help but trust him.

Logan was the one to book rooms for the four while Remus went to scout for places to eat.

Considering it wasn’t a town, there were very little places with quality food. Most of it was soup, some dry meat, bread—all the essentials, but nothing truly filling. There was a slight disappointment in Remus’ system, but he supposed considering he lived eating rations, he could hold out another day. He pulled up to the booth and started ordering whatever he could with the coin he had, paying extra for alcohol. He sauntered off, settling down near the horse stables and water station. 

Patton had already seen him and had come over, giving each horse a pet before standing beside him.

“What’s this?” he commented as Remus handed him some soup.

“The plain stuff,” he responded, wrinkling his nose in distaste as he took a bite of his jerky.

“I don’t think it’s too bad, it is food after all.”

“Yeah, but why settle for this crap when you could have roasted quail?” he whined, picking sadly at his coarse bread.

“While I do agree in your taste of dining, you shouldn’t be ungrateful for the food you already have access to,” Logan suddenly announced, making his way over to them. “You don’t see _ me  _ complaining, do you?”

Patton gave a snicker as Remus pouted, but he handed Logan his share and continued to eat quietly. Virgil didn’t show up for the rest of the night, but Patton had insisted they keep his ration instead of eating it. He seemed to be holding out on the hope the thief didn’t leave them, disappearing without announcing as he always did; Remus would be lying if he didn’t think the same.

Logan showed them their rooms, giving them two rooms to choose from since there weren’t any more rooms to spare.

Remus offered to share his room with someone, Patton did as well. It was made rather keenly that Patton wanted his room to himself—if not for privacy, for Virgil if he came back—and Logan felt more comfortable around Remus than he did Patton so far. Once the room arrangements were made up, Remus and Logan went into their rooms and Patton went into his. They said a good night to each other before they closed the door behind them.

The minute they walked into the slightly cramped room did Remus flop onto the bed, sighing. He haphazardly kicked his boots onto the ground and wrapped his arms around the flat pillow, trying to get comfortable. He could feel Logan’s disdainful look.

“What?” he asked, not bothering to open his eyes.

He heard a sniff, then, “Aren’t you going to bathe? We’ve been traveling all day; we stink.”

“Well they don’t have any hot water, and I already feel tired,” Remus mumbled. “If I get into cold water right before bed, I’ll be up  _ all _ night bothering  _ you _ .”

The scholar stood for a minute and thought about it, then started shedding his cloak and boots, grabbing his other clothes. “I suppose there is no arguing with you.”

Remus smirked lazily and gave a thumbs up before slamming face down into the pillow again. He didn’t want to take off his gear, but his back would pay for it later. He groaned and slowly sat up, eyes opened just long enough to see Logan leave the room. He took off his own cloak and his sash, making sure his weapons were secure and hidden in a safe spot. He dug up the tightly tucked blankets and covers and he dove into bed, curling up in contentment. He was sure he had passed out, for when he opened his eyes again, Logan was in the bed next to him and the once-flickering candles were out. 

He turned the other way and tried to go back to sleep, but it eluded him. He hissed and crossed his arms, sitting up. Well this was just  _ fucking _ fantastic. He fell back onto his bed with a soft thud and grabbed his pillow, dropping it onto his face and groaning lightly into it. 

Another 15 minutes of this process and Remus realized he wasn’t going back to sleep for the rest of the night. He grit his teeth and slowly slid out of the warm bed, pulling on his boots, sash, and cloak. It might be freezing outside, but Remus didn’t want to stay in here and try and entertain himself for the rest of the night. He quietly walked to the door and closed it behind him, walking out of the establishment. The minute he stepped out into the cold air he felt not miserable, but relieved. No one was about, but that was because it was in the middle of the night. There were some bars and taverns that were opened, the golden light filtering through the windows, but besides that, not much life surrounded the area.

Remus settled himself down at the steps of the building, running a hand through his hair as he watched the night sky. He’d never given its beauty much thought as he only used the night sky as a navigation system. But after Logan had told him about constellations and what stars were theorized to actually  _ be _ , he had a newfound appreciation for them. He suddenly felt immensely alone sitting on the porch. No one to talk to him about constellations and the origins behind their naming, no one to wrap an arm around his shoulder as the two shared body warmth, no one to just  _ exist _ beside him in this one moment. 

It was unsettling how bothered he was by being alone, especially since he had been for so long—he should have been used to it by now. Perhaps it was the taste of company that wore down his barrier, the one he had built up from years and years of expedition alone. He smacked his cheeks lightly, exhaling deeply and seeing his breath in the cold air. He was a mess, and he chuckled because it was true. He started to get lost in his thoughts when there was a sudden pressure on his shoulder. Remus yelped, jumping. “Virgil!” he said with both surprise and happiness.

The thief placed a finger to his lips, settling beside him. “What are you doing out here so late at night?” he asked quietly.

Remus shrugged good-naturedly. “Oh you know, I just couldn’t fall back asleep.”

“Restless?” Virgil asked, worry on his expression.

“Kinda,” he said, his arms wrapping around his knees as he rested his chin on them. “What were  _ you _ doing out here?”

Virgil looked a little uneasy, but sighed. “I was scouting,” he mumbled. “I wanted to make sure that guard earlier kept their word. You never know the likes of some people.”

Remus gave a soft laugh. “And that’s coming from you?” he joked, nudging the other.

Virgil scoffed and nudged him back. “Shut up.”

Once they settled again, Remus looked over to Virgil. “You know, Patton was really worried when you up and left,” he paused. “Like you usually do.”

His friend winced, but then sighed in response. “I know, I should stop doing that,” he said, kicking a pebble. “It’s just a habit I guess.”

“You know how he feels about you, right?” Remus asked bluntly, giving Virgil a look. Patton had first come across Virgil when Remus had brought him back one day, claiming they needed a place to hide. Patton, of course, obliged and the two got to know each for a while, much to Remus’ delight. While they were both rarely in the same place at the same time, nor willing to stay in one place, Remus knew Patton still hoped for Virgil to come.

At the mere mention of his name Virgil blushed lightly, looking down and coughing awkwardly into his shoulder. 

“I—well, um—Remus, it’s not like that,” he stammered, trying to grasp for words but ultimately failing. His shoulders slumped and he groaned into his hands. 

“Really?” he asked after a moment.

Remus paused as if he had to think about it, then nodded happily. “Of course.”

Virgil brought his arms to cross his chest, looking conflicted. “I don’t think I’m right for him.”

“Says who?” Remus asked incredulously. “You may be a badass who sometimes kills people, but you act so gentle with Pat, like he’s a kitten!”

“I always leave him—I never want to settle. I  _ kill _ people, while Patton actually has morals! I’m wanted and he’s just a blacksmith who wants a calm life! I can’t give him what he wants!”

“He wants you,” Remus shot back quietly. It seemed to shut Virgil up.

The bounty hunter hummed and leaned gently on his friend, his head resting on Virgil’s shoulder. “I miss deep talks like this.”

“You say that as if this  _ wasn’t _ a crisis for me,” his friend muttered, frowning.

“Hey, don’t be like that! I’ll help you confess in the morning!”

Virgil flushed and shifted, but didn’t push Remus off. “God, why do I even take your advice? You suck at romance.”

“You got no one else, Virge, it has to be me.”

The thief seemed to realize the clarity of the statement and they both fell silent again. 

“Wanna stay here till the sun rises?” Remus whispered.

“Yeah.”

“Cool,” said Remus, and they sat, watching the night sky.


End file.
